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

I rise to speak on the Tax Laws Amendment (2009 GST Administration Measures) Bill 2009. This bill seeks to implement a number of recommendations made by the Board of Taxation in its recent review of GST administration. The intention is to reduce GST administration costs and to streamline and remove anomalies in the GST administration framework.

There are six schedules relating to this bill, which I will briefly touch on. Before I do, it was with a real sense of nostalgia that I saw this particular piece of legislation listed. I got a little bit misty-eyed thinking back to my days in the former Treasurer’s office, working on the new tax system and the GST—and I also got a bit nostalgic for the old member for Griffith and the way he used to be. I reached back for that fantastic speech by the member for Griffith of 30 June 1999. I know it is a favourite of those opposite as well, because they warmly embrace every contribution the member for Griffith has made in the parliament. Of course I am referring to the speech where the member for Griffith said:

When the history of this parliament, this nation and this century is written, 30 June 1999 will be recorded as a day of fundamental injustice—an injustice which is real, an injustice which is not simply conjured up by the fleeting rhetoric of politicians. It will be recorded as the day when the social compact that has governed this nation for the last 100 years was torn up. It will be recorded as the day when the nation’s taxation system moved from progressivity to regressivity. It will be recorded as the day when the parliament of the country said to the poor of the country that they could all go and take a running jump. And it will be recorded as the day which marked the beginning of the end of tied grants to the states—grants which have underpinned much of the social development of the nation over the last quarter century. The national tragedy is this: so much of what is being done here today is not able to be undone or, if so, not for a long time.

That, of course, was the member for Griffith talking about legislation to introduce a goods and services tax.