Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

That 19 per cent tax rate will reduce the level of tax that would otherwise be paid by nonresidents, which is precisely what the backpackers are. That is up to the Labor Party. They could support that. They are the ones that are going to ensure, if they have their way, that backpackers are paying 32½ per cent, because they are nonresidents and because the ATO has ruled that they are nonresidents. This is a plain act of economic vandalism by the Labor Party. It is a plain act of undermining Australian businesses—Australian horticultural businesses, Australian tourism businesses.

The Labor Party has no shame. They have the gall to come in here and talk about the AAA rating and talk about economic responsibility, when what they want to do is reduce the level of tax that backpackers pay, apparently, to one that is even lower than that with the marginal rate which an Australian would pay. And they talk about protecting Australian jobs!

What we are doing is supporting a sustainable rate of tax for backpackers, and we ask the Labor Party, again, to act responsibly and to act in the interest of Australians and support that rate.

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