Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

That is true, Member for McMahon. It is true. The member for Maribyrnong wants auto-electricians, mechanics and carpenters to pay higher tax than foreign workers. The member for Maribyrnong wants small businesses that employ auto-electricians, mechanics and carpenters to pay more tax, and is refusing to support the government's plan to reduce tax for those small businesses with a turnover of between $2 million and $10 million. That is what he is doing. He wants to price Australians, especially young people who want to be auto-electricians, mechanics and carpenters, out of the job market.

Our working holiday-maker reform package proposes a reduction in the tax rate from 32.5 per cent to 19 per cent. It ensures that backpackers will pay a fair amount of tax on their earnings and it is internationally competitive. Labor does not understand regional Australia. We heard from the member for Gippsland, the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, today in parliament talking about the Hazelwood workers. He is surprised by the lack of interest on this issue from those opposite, and I agree with him. Labor has had three days of question time, we have had the news that hundreds of workers will lose their jobs in March next year and not one question from those opposite. Not one shadow minister has visited the Latrobe Valley—what a shame. I think they should. Not one federal Labor MP has asked a question about how the government will respond to this situation, and it is a worrying situation. I feel for the member for Gippsland.

I know how it is when, the people you represent, your constituents, are hard hit by bad government policies, like they were when those opposite were in power and we had the fiasco of the Murray-Darling Basin policy. I absolutely feel for those people and that is why this side of politics is having a cabinet committee to make sure that we do everything we can to help those Hazelwood people. It is no wonder that the blue-collar workers in the Latrobe Valley have called for those opposite to talk about their issue and to actually have some compassion and feeling for them.

Labor is playing politics. Labor is playing politics on everything it does. The stalling of the passage of legislation about the backpackers issue will mean—

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