Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for her question and I commend her for her own plan, for the Central Coast and Robertson, for jobs and growth in the local economy on the Central Coast and a range of initiatives going right from local business opportunities through to education and others. I commend the member for Robertson.

When the coalition is engaged in changes to our tax system it is about supporting jobs and growth in the economy. That is our record. When last there were major changes to our tax system, that resulted in taxes being cut. Income taxes were cut. Stamp duties on myriad issues were cut. Bed taxes were cut. Financial institutions' duties were cut. When we change the tax system we improve the situation of Australians by ensuring the tax system is backing people who are out there working and saving and investing.

This is one of the many measures that we are doing to support jobs and growth in the economy—whether it is the Deputy Prime Minister's $50 billion rollout of the national infrastructure plan and our greatest trade minister of all time rolling out the most ambitious agenda of trade agreements or, indeed, the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and the innovation statement that will shortly be coming before the Australian people. We are unrolling this national platform for jobs and growth in our economy. When you pursue tax changes, it is about pursuing growth and jobs. That is why we are engaged. Our economy does face headwinds but we are realistically optimistic. In the last 12 months, particularly in the year to 30 June, we not only doubled the growth rate of the Canadian economy, which is a comparable economy, we also saw 315,000 jobs created in the last year, which is something positive for the economy.

When we look at changes to the tax system it is about jobs and growth, but those opposite simply see the tax system as a way to milk the Australian taxpayer. There are alternative approaches on tax and the most striking one we saw, over the last few days, was the opposition's plan to double-down on the carbon tax they had when they were in government—a 45 per cent target on the reduction of emissions, which would see a carbon tax reintroduced to this country with full fury, with absolute full fury. It would be a carbon maxitax that those opposite would seek to introduce to go after this 45 per cent target. It would cost the economy some $600 billion over 15 years. It would be an economy-crunching and a job-munching tax that would come from those opposite if they ever got their hands on the carbon tax levers again. What is it about carbon taxes they just cannot leave alone? They are like that little child who just has to keep touching it and touching it. They cannot leave it alone. The Australian people set a clear— (Time expired)

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