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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the $38 million advertising campaign on the current mining tax policy. Given that the government is, in its own words, ‘consulting on the tax’, will the government, when it changes the tax, feel the need to declare a further national emergency to spend more money to buy more ads to correct its current ads? Prime Minister, when will this reckless spending stop?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for North Sydney for his question, because I notice that those opposite are quite happy to ride on the coat-tails of a campaign, of up to $100 million based on reports, from the mining industry representing companies who do not want to pay another dollar’s worth of tax to the Australian people. Second point: these resources are owned by the Australian people and the Australian people deserve their fair share.

Furthermore, if you look at the overall take of tax through royalties over the last 10 years, it has gone from $1 in $3 in profits to $1 in $7 in profits. The Australian people are demanding a fair share. We make no apology whatsoever for engaging in a public advertising campaign to establish the facts of the government’s new proposed RSPT and the reforms which it is capable of bringing about—namely, better super for working families, which they would cut; company tax cuts, which they would raise; and tax breaks for small business, which they would rip away. That is the government’s reform plan. We intend to get on with the business of putting out the facts to the Australian community.