Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I see Senator Collins is interjecting—still got life even at this late hour. I will read certain parts of that speech to prove my point. By the way, this is just a sideline—I have done some very deep research, which I would like to address the chamber on, on certain matters to do with industrial relations—but I thought it was necessary to point this out. I will read a couple of gems that came out of that Governor-General’s speech because—I do this for a reason—it will epitomise the very direction of the government since that speech. For example:

During this term, the government will pursue plans to reduce the tax burden on the business sector, simplify tax returns for ordinary taxpayers.

They will reduce the tax burden—then the speech goes on to say they are going to introduce a mining tax. I always thought tax reform had more to do with reducing the tax burden on the taxpayer. Their idea of tax reform is to introduce a tax. But then it gets better:

Further deliberations on the nation’s taxation system will be considered at a public forum to be held by mid 2011, which will re-examine the Henry tax review ...

Following that forum, the government will hold a debate on tax reform in the Australian parliament, enabling all senators and members to express their views.

So a forum and a debate will be held. It is the same old rhetoric—same old, same old. Nothing new came out of this address it all. I though—and I see Senator Nash is in the chamber—that we might get something for the rural and regional areas, considering they had to pander to the Independents to win government. So I went to the Governor-General’s address and saw that, under ‘Building Regional Australia’, this is what we got:

Accordingly the government has appointed a new cabinet level minister for regional Australia—

Who, by the way, is Simon Crean. What an offence! They could have put Senator Carr in the position; it would be just as credible. So we have a Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government supported by a whole new bureaucracy, a whole new department, for regional Australia. They go a step further for regional Australia, saying they have set up a House of Representatives committee on regional Australia. We have always had one in the Senate and it has been a very good one.