George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, of course, I cannot confirm that, because I do not have the historical figures in front of me. However, Senator Cameron, what I can tell you is: it is for the very reason that we want Australians to have stronger wages, higher wages and better conditions that we have brought forward one of the most important signature reforms of the Turnbull government, and that is our enterprise tax plan. What that plan does by lowering the tax burden progressively on small businesses and then medium-sized businesses and then, ultimately, all businesses is to put more money at their disposal so that they can employ more people and they can pay better wages to the people they do employ. That is the point. I know socialists like you, Senator Cameron, will never understand this, but the key to prosperity, the key to higher wages, the key to more jobs is prosperous businesses. If the government can take less of a company's income for the revenue and leave that money in the company so that it can employ more people or pay higher wages to the people who it already employs then that is the way to spread the wealth. That is why we have put the enterprise tax plan at the centre of our economic reform policy. That is how you will get higher wages and that is how you will get more jobs.