Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister join with Labor and commit to increasing tobacco excise, which will make for a healthier Australia and raise $48 billion over the decade, or is the Prime Minister intent on increasing the GST, which will increase the price of fresh food for all Australians?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. He has returned to his familiar theme of claiming that the government is planning to increase the GST, although on this occasion I am glad he has not specified the percentage by which he intends that we would increase it by—so clearly he is limiting his imagination.

As far as the request to increase tobacco excise, if the opposition want the government to seriously consider this as a proposal—and I am responding respectfully to this proposal—

Mr Champion interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Wakefield!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would invite the Labor Party to release their costings. I would invite them to cost how much it will raise. I would invite them to tell us what the impact will be in the reduction in the number of smokers. I would also appreciate if they would advise us whether they would regard this tax as being regressive or progressive, given that is a matter that I notice the member for Fraser was speaking on just as I came in.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Ms Butler interjecting—

The Labor Party have been full of invention today, and they have spent much of the day pretending that the government has already introduced a GST on fresh food and health products. The shadow Treasurer, the member for McMahon, said: 'The government tells us, of course, there is no alternative but to do things like taxing fresh food, to set a price signal on health and education and jack up the GST.' No doubt he will produce the quotations, the documents where he has found us saying that, because we have said no such thing. Then you have the member for Ballarat tell the ABC in Gippsland: 'You have the Turnbull government basically saying what they want to do is raise revenue through a 15 per cent GST on fresh food and health.' We have said no such thing. The only people that keep on talking on about 15 per cent are the opposition.

There is always a little bit of poetic licence taken in political debate, but inventing statements that were never made is simply not going to persuade anyone. The opposition should think about making some solid proposals to return to the business of improving the economic efficiency of the tax system.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the member for Tangney, the members for Wakefield and Griffith interjected incessantly through that answer. Both members have been warned multiple times. I am flagging right now that there will be no more warnings. The members for Griffith and Wakefield will not interject continuously in a disorderly manner. I am not going to continue to warn them multiple times. They have run out of demerit points.