Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Hopefully they are changing the website, Senator Cormann, now that you have pointed out that the answer the minister gave us last night and this morning is just patently wrong. You have quite clearly demonstrated that. Minister, why can’t you tell the people of Australia and this parliament the answers to the questions we raise?

I am very keen to know where the $1.8 billion that is being raised is going. You say that you cannot answer for the media releases of Mr Katter and Mr Crook that Senator Back rightly raised. But remember that it was your leader’s agreement with those Independents that allowed you to remain as a minister in this government. You are inextricably interwoven with those Independents. They said that they did a deal with your Prime Minister that allowed for $650 million to go to Mr Katter’s electorate. You say, ‘Ask Mr Katter.’ We are not asking Mr Katter; he is not even in this chamber. You should be able to tell us if your government has made that agreement with Mr Katter. It is a pretty simple thing to say, ‘Yes, we did,’ or, ‘No, we did not.’ We in this chamber want to know where you will be spending the $1.8 billion that you are collecting with this new tax that you are hoping to impose under the legislation we are debating today.

I ask another question to add to the list of questions that I am seeking an answer to. Has the department done any assessment on the number of people who will be exempted from the payment of this tax? You told us yesterday that 45 per cent of the revenue in Australia comes from individuals. Can you let me know how many individuals that actually relates to? With the 45 per cent of tax that is recovered from individuals, how many individual taxpayers does that encompass and what is the department’s estimate of the number of individuals who will be exempted? I am trying to work out which of the individuals who pay income tax will be paying the tax and which will be exempted under arrangements that we are still struggling to find out about from you.

Minister, you are in coalition with the Greens political party. I ask you again as you have still not answered this question: why is it that individuals should pay this flood tax levy and not the major multinationals, the companies that contribute some 55 per cent of Australia’s total income tax revenue, according to the information you gave us last night? I will quote from a statement by Senator Bob Brown:

The Greens believe that these rich mineral resources and the wealth they generate should be shared by all Australians.

He went on to say:

These multinational companies that reap these rich rewards should be paying their fair share of tax.

He also issued a press release on 16 January saying:

Coal barons should help pay for catastrophes.

Minister, this is your coalition partner, the Greens political party. Why are they not helping pay for the Queensland flood recovery? They are exempted—BHP, Xstrata, Rio Tinto. They are not going to pay a cent to this, but the local electrician and the local plumber will be paying a tax. Why is it, Minister, that individuals should be contributing to the recovery payment?

I ask a further question in the hope that you will answer them. Will the money collected by this tax go to individuals or will it simply go to state governments? There is a perception around that is being promoted by the Labor Party that this flood tax levy is going to go out and help people’s homes to be rebuilt and furniture to be replaced. My understanding is that that is not true. It is simply going to the Queensland state Labor government and other state governments for roads, bridges and that sort of thing. Can you clarify that for us, Minister? I think that is something the people of Australia would like today.

To recapitulate, I want to know how many taxpayers pay the 45 per cent figure that you mentioned last night; what is the department’s estimate of those who will be exempted; what is the rationale for charging individuals rather than corporate taxpayers; and have there been deals done on where the $1.8 billion is to be spent—for example, more directly, is the $650 million going to go to Mr Katter’s electorate? Please answer that. If the answer is ‘yes’, I would be delighted. It is an electorate I cover as well, so I would be pleased to hear it. But I also want you to tell me whether it is going to individuals or just to the state government to build roads. I hope that you may be able to answer those questions and at the same time help Senator Cash and Senator Fisher in the very legitimate questions that they have also asked about this particular tax.