Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I will, Mr Speaker. I said publicly that, if he was prepared to announce pre-election, which would have given growers immediate relief, that he would give up on his backpacker tax, we would back him. But we were not going to fall for the pea-and-thimble trick of allowing him to lie to the Australian people and suggest to them that he would get rid of the tax post-election but spend the $500 million all the way up to the election.

In the Senate today, after consulting through a Senate inquiry and after talking to their constituents, particularly in Tasmania, senators did the right thing. They heard the growers of Australia. They understood that, at 19 per cent, the growers cannot compete. That fruit is going to be rotting on trees. They heard what the growers had to say. Labor, the opposition, has heard what the growers have had to say. We understand that this 19 per cent backpacker tax is going to destroy many of those growers and other farmers, and, of course, those who work in the tourism industry.

It is time for one other group of people to get on board, and they sit opposite. People like the member for Hinkler and the member for Hume purport to represent people in rural Australia. Yet, what are they doing? The member for Hume is one of the biggest supporters of the $50 billion tax cut for big corporate multinationals in this country. What he is doing is putting the big corporate multinationals ahead of his local farmers. He is putting the big corporates ahead of national farming. It is a disgrace. Jack McEwen would be rolling in his grave that he would be putting the big banks, for example, ahead of his farmers and growers. The member for Dawson and others sitting up there—the member for Hinkler and Mr Broad from Mallee—need to come in here and stick up for their farmers: cross the floor and back the 10½ per cent backpacker tax.

I want to say one last thing. Fiona Simson was elected president of the National Farmers' Federation today. I have the highest regard for Fiona Simson. She is a good woman; she is a good leader. Now, she has an opportunity. The National Farmers' Federation has stuck like glue to the government on its 19 per cent backpacker tax, despite that fact it is hurting growers everywhere. I say to Fiona: congratulations; here is a wonderful opportunity for you; show some leadership, get with the rest of us and back a backpacker tax rate of 10½ per cent.

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