Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, it is untrue. But this need not be a problem; it is easily fixed. If the government had sought to consult with this chamber—which they seldom do—before introducing the legislation, perhaps even the potential of that situation could have been avoided. The opposition has recommended that the revenue collected so far from the tax should be focused on the problem the policy was actually designed to address: binge drinking. There is the capacity for the parliament to validate the revenue already collected and there is also the capacity for the parliament to ensure that the money collected—the money which could be validated—is not returned to the industry in the event that this bill is defeated. That is easily done by legislation and most in the industry do not want the money returned. That money can be quarantined and it can be put to the purpose that this legislation was intended to fix—that is, we could put the money towards advertising campaigns and other worthwhile purposes.

The government must take responsibility for this situation. The policy was not a measure designed to address public health concerns. It was simply a tax grab. It risks making binge drinking amongst teenagers more dangerous than before. The legislation is a con and a sham—it always was—and this legislation should be defeated.