Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to recent media reports concerning new taxes on the family home. Will the Treasurer confirm whether he, his office or his department has sought or received advice on the introduction of any new tax, including, but not limited to, a capital gains tax on the family home?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Here we go—another desperate smear-and-fear campaign from those opposite. I am happy to answer it, but be under no doubt what this is all about: those opposite are so embarrassed that they voted against a successful stimulus that here we go with another fear campaign.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, there was no preamble to the question. It asked him simply whether he had sought or received advice. I ask him to answer that question.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will respond to the question.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What we have through the Henry review is another fear campaign from those opposite, because they are so bereft of any policy all they can do is run a fear campaign. As the Prime Minister said in this House yesterday, we take the issue of tax reform very seriously, and that is why we established the Henry review. We do want to simplify the tax system. We do want to put more incentive in the tax system. We do want to make our tax system internationally competitive. There was some publicity on the weekend: an article on the front page of a paper, which suggested there had been some discussion with the government about capital gains tax or taxes on housing. There will be plenty of this drivel and misrepresentation around as we go through the Henry review, because those opposite will stop at nothing to mount a fear campaign to camouflage the fact that they do not have an alternative fiscal policy—no alternative fiscal policy whatsoever. But insofar as those press reports on Saturday said there would be any complication with the government—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Treasurer will resume his seat.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order that goes to relevance. I had asked a very straightforward question—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. To the extent that I added to the confusion there, I was trying to get the Treasurer to resume his seat, because the Leader of the Opposition had risen. The fact that the Leader of the Opposition then sat down, I think, is neither here nor there. The Leader of the Opposition has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is simply a point of relevance. It is a very straightforward question and the Treasurer should answer it.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Treasurer is responding to the question. I will carefully listen to his answer.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will be very clear with the Leader of the Opposition: there have been no discussions with the government about those matters that appeared on the front page of the Australian on Saturday.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, we didn’t ask about the media; we asked whether you had got that advice.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The members for North Sydney and Dickson are not assisting.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the question did not ask about the Henry review or about media reports. It contained no preamble. It asked specifically whether he or his office had sought or received advice about capital gains tax on the family home.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I will give the member for Sturt the opportunity to remind me which media statements the Leader of the Opposition was referring to at the start of his question.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To introduce the question, he referred to the media reports on the weekend. The question then asked specifically—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sturt will resume his seat. The Treasurer has the call.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Any suggestion that the government was aware of the matters mentioned on the front page of the Australian on Saturday is fiction. Any suggestion that the head of the Henry review, Dr Henry, had any knowledge of those matters he himself has said is fiction. So what we have here is another fear campaign from a group of people who basically could not support this country in its hour of need. When it needed an economic stimulus they got up and said that it would not work. They said the stimulus would not work. The Leader of the Opposition went to the National Press Club of Australia one week before the budget and said the stimulus would not support one job. The data is in and, of course, when it comes to the economy what this proves is that those opposite—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This cannot possibly be relevant.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dickson will resume his seat. The Treasurer has the call. The Treasurer will bring his response to a conclusion.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What those opposite have proven time and time again is that, whether it is with economic stimulus or whether it is with the bank guarantee, they are the masters of misjudgment. The ultimate evidence of that is that there is not one skerrick of a fiscal policy they can put forward in this House. The facts of the matter are these. The stimulus has worked, but there are big challenges ahead for this nation. What the nation requires is unity in this House in dealing with those challenges, not the bitter division that we have seen from those opposite, not the fear-and-smear campaigns, not what they did in this House some weeks ago, where for a whole week of the parliament they could not ask me one single question about the economy. Indeed, in something like eight question times there has not been a question to the Treasurer about the economy. I have concluded.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the House comes to order, we will resume. I remind members that standing orders do not allow them to just come into the chamber and prattle on. The member for Brisbane has the call.