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

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer to the Prime Minister’s statement last week in which he suggested he was too busy to release the Henry review into Australia’s tax system. Now that the coalition has levelled with the Australian people by announcing a generous paid parental leave scheme, and a levy on less than half of one per cent of businesses to pay for it, when will the Treasurer have the guts to come clean with the Australian people about the Henry tax review and what taxes this government is going to impose on the Australian people to pay for all of its promises?

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

My Speaker, the member for North Sydney must be concussed. He must have done a couple of rounds with Barnaby—fair dinkum! I mean, this is just completely irrational.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In spite of your specific advice to the Treasurer, he has continued to refer to members not by their proper titles.

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

Mr Pyne interjecting

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

There are other things that demean the parliament as well, Member for Sturt.

On an earlier occasion during this session, or late in the last session, it was raised with me whether the use of unparliamentary expressions towards members of the other place should be tolerated. On that occasion I accepted that my initial response was wrong—I am responding to a point of order; if it is taking time, I apologise. On that occasion I indicated that my initial response was wrong and that there was protection about the use of unparliamentary expressions towards members of the other place. I am in a serious dilemma about whether parliamentary titles as they are used have ever been required in relation to senators in this place. But, if that is the indication that we have and if that is to be the procedure, then the use of a title, being the senator’s name with the title before it, is what I will ask the Treasurer to place in his answer.

An incident having occurred in the gallery—

I thank the young member of the public in the gallery for his assistance.

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

It is good to see your family-friendly practices, Mr Speaker.

It is a bit rich getting a question on tax from those opposite in today’s environment, where they cannot work out whether they are going to fund their new levy by having a tax on companies that turn over $5 million or on companies that pay tax on $5 million, thereby having a difference of 2,500 companies that were lost.

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

My Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to remind the Treasurer of the question: when will he release the Henry review? It is simple.

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

Order! The member for North Sydney will resume his seat.

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

We will release the Henry review in plenty of time for a full discussion in this parliament and a full national debate, which we on this side of the House absolutely welcome. It will be out there in plenty of time for a full public debate. We welcome that debate because of all of the incompetence that has been demonstrated by those opposite here today. They have not got a clue what they are doing in terms of economic policy. We will release this report, prepared by an independent committee chaired by Dr Henry, in good time and in plenty of time for a debate. I welcome the debate in this parliament with those opposite. I welcome it because it goes to the very core of the long-term challenges facing this country.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

We will see whether we get the same mad, populist response from those opposite when this debate comes out or whether we can as a community and a country have a mature debate about something as fundamental as the long-term reform of our tax system. But, from their behaviour today, I do not think we have a chance in hell.