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

The member must be completely unaware of the statements by Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas; Robb Scott, the CEO of Wesfarmers; Russell Zimmerman from the Australian Retailers Association; Peter Coleman, the CEO of Woodside; and Alison Watkins, the managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil. These are just some of the very large companies that employ tens—hundreds—of thousands of Australians, who have committed and have been out there making very clear this very simple principle: if you make business not pay as much money to the government, they're in a much better position to give workers a pay rise.

The Labor Party are standing between workers in this country and a pay rise because they think businesses should pay the government more rather than pay their employees more. That's what Labor think. They think that the best way to increase wages in this country is to make businesses pay the government more. The member for Fenner this week actually put out research that he says he did himself which shows that, if you put higher taxes on businesses, you get higher wages and you get higher economic growth. Well, let's put it up to 35! Let's put it up to 40! Why not 45? The Labor Party believe the higher you tax the economy, the better the economy goes. What sorts of morons must they be listening to to think that this is good economic policy? I think the Leader of the Opposition and, in particular, the shadow Treasurer have somehow departed from the common sense they once understood earlier in their lives.

We saw it most recently in an article in the Australian Financial Review where the shadow Treasurer was profiled. There he was with that pensive look in front of his voluminous bookcase with the hand on the chin, looking up, and he said: 'My own one great regret when I was at university, getting all of those high distinctions'—he happened to mention, very modest of him—'I just wish I'd gone out and partied more.' The shadow Treasurer must have been partying for the last three years, because he hasn't come up with a good idea in that entire time. He has been sitting around posing for photos. I love this one. How good's that! Aren't you a pretty boy, Zoolander!

See this speech in context