Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the last federal election, we saw that there was not much that the Labor Party didn't want to put a new tax on. They wanted to tax our houses, our cars and our retirement. Every member of the household would be hit with a new tax under Labor. But just when you think Labor has run out of things to tax—yesterday, with its state budget, the Queensland Labor Party and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, 'Hold my beer!' They introduced Labor's wheelie bin tax in their state budget, and, in true Labor fashion, it was a broken promise to boot. Despite a commitment they had made not to tax household rubbish bins, yesterday's budget saw them guaranteeing the advance waste levy payments to Queensland councils for one more year. It's a broken promise. Without this payment ongoing, like they promised, households in the Brisbane City Council are set to be slugged with Labor's bin tax of $88 on their rates billed in 12 months' time. We know that when Labor run out of money, they come after yours; now they're coming after your rubbish. I want to add my voice to that of Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, the Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson, and the LGAQ and call on Premier Palaszczuk to keep her commitment she made not to tax our bins by guaranteeing to retain the advanced waste levy payments. For Brisbane residents, the choice is clear—you simply cannot afford Labor and their rubbish bin tax.