Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron is clearly not very agile on his feet, because he clearly does not have the capacity to adjust his pre-drafted supplementary questions as the answers evolve to his previous questions. For his benefit, let me say it again: the government made a very conscious decision that it is not appropriate for the taxpayers to be asked to provide a gift to a profitable company, like Coca-Cola Amatil, for them to make investments in businesses they own. It is a matter for Coca-Cola Amatil to decide what investments they think are appropriate to make in a business like SPC Ardmona. That is a very conscious decision we made.

Just imagine if every business across Australia considering commercial investments ended up having a reasonable expectation that the taxpayers would help them reach their target for the internal rate of return they are seeking. It is not appropriate and it is not the way this government treats taxpayers' money. We will treat taxpayers' money with respect.