Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Perhaps I could cap this off in the last couple of minutes. It seems funny, but it is a very serious matter. This has been blatantly about raising revenue for the government—whacking tourists, whacking backpackers because of Mr Scott Morrison's obsession. This is about $500 million. Let me say to you today, Senator Hanson, that you have learnt a very important lesson. You are one of two things in this place: you are either a predator or you are prey. Today you are prey. You are a cheap date. You have sold out backpackers, you have sold out the tourism industry today.

This was all about Mr Scott Morrison's obsession with penny-pinching—going after industries without tackling real reform in this country. We can raise revenue to fix the budget; we can raise revenue to make Australia a good place for people, especially with the safety net that we require. This is not the way to raise money. This is not good for the tourism industry. I was also at that forum yesterday, Senator Hanson. No National Party staffer or Senator Cormann staffer or anyone else approached me about doing a deal. This is not a good precedent to be setting, to be selling out the tourism industry because of the obsession of a Treasurer with penny pinching.