Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting for Deregulation. How have Tasmanian families and businesses benefited from real tax reform under this government? And what would be the impact on Tasmanians of other approaches to tax reform?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for his question. This government stands up for hardworking Australian families and small businesses. That is why we have been delivering real tax reform—reforms like tripling the tax-free threshold and cutting taxes on superannuation for our lowest-paid workers, and standing up for Australian businesses by making sure that multinational corporations pay their fair share.

Meanwhile, each of these policies has been opposed by those opposite. But that should not surprise us because, when it comes to tax reform and the coalition, all roads lead to one place and that is the GST. We know that they want to increase the GST, which will smash families, it will smash pensioners and it will strangle small businesses with red tape.

I revealed yesterday that the Liberal candidate for Pearce, the former WA Treasurer, was out there yesterday saying that he wanted the Liberals to jack up the GST. But that is not all he said. He also said that he wanted to see the Liberals 'sort out the distribution of GST'. We all know what that means. That means more money for his state but by ripping hundreds of millions of dollars away from states like Tasmania. The member for Bass asked the question, and $600 million would be ripped away from Tasmania if the Leader of the Opposition gets his way in moving towards something that resembles a per capita funding arrangement for GST.

He said that on Sky about a year ago. But I note that, when he went down to Tasmania recently, he got up there in a press conference with some of his Liberal candidates there—there he was with his little pamphlet under his chin, as he does—and he said, 'Don't worry, because we can't do anything unless we have the unanimous support of the states.' Well, that is not true; it is not true at all. And even one of his own members of his team, the Liberal Senator for Tasmania, Senator Bushby, confirmed this yesterday in a press release, where he said:

… the final decision on relativities is indeed a decision of the Federal Treasurer of the day …

Tasmanians have nothing to worry about while ever we are in government, but they do have a lot to be concerned about if those opposite ever get into office.

The Leader of the Opposition and Senator Bushby are out there and they are saying, 'When it comes to the GST, trust us.' Well, when a Liberal asks you to trust them on the GST, they might as well tell you, 'Never, ever,' because they cannot be trusted. When it comes to the GST, they want to increase the GST; it is in their DNA. They introduced it; they want to jack it up—

Ms O'Dwyer interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Higgins is warned!

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The choice for the Australian people is a government that will stand up for a fair share for all states or an opposition that wants to rip money away from states like Tasmania.