Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

those two smallest Hebrew characters exactly so that they wouldn't lose a vote. Therefore, they put their own amendment in that exactly matches the opposition's to knock out faith based super. This could be the first time I've ever seen a government knockout one of their own election commitments after defending it on the floor of the House and then putting their own amendment in. It is a blue or black or some letter day because I haven't seen it before.

So I say to the minister, who is not here—he's left it to his junior Treasury minister, who is an accomplished academic, no less—to actually fight this one out, because the minister was saying that he would defend to his last breath the right for those funds to invest in accordance with their beliefs. That is, until that breath was required of him in the Senate.

The opposition will of course support passage of the TLAB Bill No. 3 through the floor of the House because it contains a number of important provisions. But I do say to the House: we took a principled position that all Australians, regardless of age, sex, creed, race, religion or otherwise, should have the same access to a quality retirement and that everyone should have the same set of rules when it comes to their retirement. Super should not have carve outs based on any provision, but all Australians, all created equally, should have the same right and the same provisions. The opposition will support the passage of the bill.

Question agreed to.

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