Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I hear an interjection across the chamber about the Greens, who, of course, joined with the government to put in place a measure for unlimited debt last year and will join with the government again to put in place an unfair parental leave scheme—tens of billions of dollars going to the most affluent Australians.

These sorts of measures are deeply concerning to the Labor members on this side of the House. The measure that we are debating today is a Labor measure, brought forward by the great tax reformer David Bradbury. And we are pleased to see it implemented—make no mistake. But we want to see the government have as much enthusiasm about closing the other tax loopholes which are currently causing the burden to fall on the most vulnerable Australians.

Compared to the honest benchmark—as the member for Cook noted yesterday, the only honest benchmark—the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the budget deficit is increased this year, next year and over the forward estimates. This is a budget that breaks promises. Worst of all, it is a budget that is deeply, deeply unfair. We need a government that is serious about cracking down on multinational profit shifting, and we do not have that government today.

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