Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. On 9 September last year, when asked to name his greatest achievement since deposing the former Prime Minister, the member for Warringah, the current Prime Minister said, 'reforms to business tax'. Is the Prime Minister still committed to his centrepiece $50 billion tax cut for big business in full? If not, what will the Prime Minister's new greatest achievement be?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. As all honourable members know, if you increase the return on investment, you get more investment. If you get more investment, you get more jobs. That is why her leader, the member for Maribyrnong, defended and promoted company tax cuts in the past, that is why Paul Keating cut company tax, that is why Peter Costello cut company tax and that is why countries around the world have reduced company tax—because they know it will increase investment, increase productivity and increase jobs. The member for McMahon was so enthusiastic about it that he took pen to paper and actually wrote a book on the subject.

We are committed to growth; we are committed to investment. The Labor Party used to claim they were. I am not sure they were ever really committed. They used to claim they were, but now they are engaged in an anti-business, anti-investment, job-destroying, ideological campaign which can only result in a poorer Australia with fewer opportunities for our children and grandchildren. We are committed to growth, we are committed to jobs and we are committed to opportunity.