Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very happy to talk about it, but I will not talk about it in the same context as Labor state premiers seem to want to talk about it, which is, 'Raise the GST and give us more of it. Give as more money.' That is what certainly Andrew Barr in the ACT would like. That is what Jay Weatherill would like. It is, 'Yes, please. Go ahead and raise the GST, but give us the money.' I do not think that is the kind of conversation we should be having when it comes to tax reform. When it comes to tax reform we should not be taking the Labor premiers' or Labor chief ministers' way of doing things. What we should be on about, and what this government needs to be on about, is lowering the overall tax burden on Australians. That is the starting point for any conversation about tax reform. It is about lowering the tax burden. It is not about jacking up taxes so we can give more money to state governments, who often spend it in highly inefficient ways, whilst increasing the burden on Australian taxpayers. But let's not be afraid of the conversation, as the Labor Party appears to be. What state Labor premiers are saying as part of the conversation is effectively that we should just jack up taxes and give them more money. Even if I reject that, at least they are engaging in the conversation. At least they are engaging in a conversation about how we best make sure we lower the tax burden—well, they are not in that part of that conversation, but some state premiers are part of a conversation about the future of taxation in Australia.

I disagree with this prescription of higher and higher taxes for more and more spending. That is not the way to prosperity. The way to prosperity is actually to give Australians more of their own money. The GST of course—