Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I ask a supplementary question, Mr President. I note that the minister does not in any way contradict the fact that he has funded a study which promotes the concept of a tax on fishing and on fishing equipment. Given that the minister says that he rules out imposing such a tax, why has the minister wasted $200,000 of taxpayers’ money investigating a measure that he now says will not happen? Was the minister simply caught out planning a tax on families who want to take their kids fishing and, having been caught out, he had to back out of it?