Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, you know when you're on the money when every minute or so one of them bobs up with some nonsense sort of an interjection to stop you getting your flow on. Through you, Madam Acting Deputy President, there is not one of these people here who has ever lain at home at night worrying about their business mortgage, worrying about how they are going to employ someone. This is reflected in their economic management skills.

They have not even had the basic experience of small business to know things like tax cuts. Those tax cuts that will go to these businesses—I think it is under $10 million—are going to be reinvested. Every cent of that will be reinvested by employing more people or giving better employment services to those who are already employed, giving them confidence that their jobs are going to continue because their bosses are productive. The only way governments can create revenue is to borrow more money, increase taxes and charges or reduce services. There is no other pathway. The only way out of this Labor quagmire that you left us, this $300 billion debt, is for business men and women out there to hit their straps and generate incomes, creating good profits on which to pay their fair share of taxation. That is the only way out of this quagmire—creating businesses that will employ more people.

Let me talk about some of the imposts on businesses. Let me tell you about the impact the Labor Party still has today. They send out these gorillas, knuckles dragging on the floor, to corruptly stand over businesses to take money. Some of them spend it on prostitutes and boats for themselves, others put extensions on their own homes. These are trade union delegates, these are the mates of the Australian Labor Party, these are the people who fund this political franchise, over here, of nearly $200 million. You know that, don't you, Senator Williams? You only mentioned it a bit earlier. It was $198 million, I think. You were a student of it.

You have taken $198 million off these corrupt individuals in this organised crime unit so that you can continue to come here and protect them—not only to protect them but to create an environment where they can continue to attack—