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

As they said in Oceans Eleven, you had one job to do: you just had to implement a bipartisan reform in order to bring down the GST threshold on low-value imports—something that is supported in principle by this side of the House. We have consistently said: if it raises revenue and it can be efficiently done, then we will back it. But we have come to this point because the government now, with just days to go before the beginning of the next financial year, wants to bring in some significant changes which those responsible for implementing say have serious problems. We have had even threats that Australia might be geoblocked as a result of these changes. Had the government moved with greater lead time, we might not be in the position we are in today. But the reason that not just Labor senators but coalition senators called for a 12-month delay was their concern that the government had botched it.

This is not climate change. It is not industrial reform. It is not dealing with the rise of China. This is the implementation of a reform that has bipartisan support in a way that ensures that we get significant compliance. Labor's concern is that the government's preferred model, when it ripens, when it is at full implementation, will still miss 46 per cent of the low-value goods imported into Australia. That is why we have called for, and why the House will now be supporting, a review by the Productivity Commission—a body which is experienced in dealing with this issue; a body which will be able to look carefully at the model and see whether or not it can be improved. As the shadow Treasurer has said, this will now be the law of the land—this will go through—but we do trust that the government will listen carefully to advice from the Productivity Commission.

As we have seen so often, whether it be superannuation tax concession, cigarette excise or funding of community legal centres, the Abbott and Turnbull governments eventually come around to the policy leadership of Labor. Our focus is on achieving better economic outcomes for Australia. Our measures have always been about trying to ensure the government is able to better achieve the goals that enjoy bipartisan support. We just want them to be able to do the right job.

Question agreed to.

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