Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

Also, I did not interject last night and I have not interjected this morning. You just continue to reflect your rudeness, Senator, in interjecting.

So I did point that out last night. I also pointed out last night that, when you were part of that government, Senator Macdonald, you had another four levies. You had six levies for specific purposes when you were a minister and a backbencher in the previous Liberal-National government. There was a levy on sugar, a levy on milk, a levy on tickets to pay for the Ansett collapse, a levy for East Timor, a levy for guns buyback—and even a levy on containers. I pointed that out last night. Senator Macdonald, as a member of that Liberal-National party government, conveniently forgets, when he criticises us for having one levy, that the government he was a member of had six levies, and that did not include the superannuation surcharge, which they claim was not a tax. All of these issues were well canvassed last night, Senator Macdonald.

In terms of the Greens and the position they postulated, they are not here. That is their prerogative. They are the ones who argued that the levy should apply and the base should be on multinational companies. That was not an argument that the government advanced. There was no speaker from the government who advanced that as an argument, so your contention and your issue are with the Greens. Again, it is up to you, Senator Macdonald. If you want to question them on their particular approach, it is up to you. I am here representing the government. We have chosen the base of the levy. I have answered your questions, and I do not intend to answer repeated questions again this afternoon.