Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers provided by Senator Cormann to my questions asking him to rule out any changes to the GST distribution to South Australia and Tasmania. Today he certainly refused to rule that out or answer the questions, even though this was yet another opportunity for him to do so. He's been given several opportunities this week by other South Australian and Tasmanian senators on this side of the chamber, and today he had yet another.

We know that Treasurer Scott Morrison used the cover of the summer break to announce that the Turnbull government had extended the deadline—this is a very important point that some government senators seem to forget—for the Productivity Commission inquiry's report into the economic impact of horizontal fiscal equalisation from January to 15 May. That ensured that this really important report would be delayed until after both the South Australian and the Tasmanian elections. That was a decision made by the Turnbull Liberal government to clearly show that, between now and then, in both Tasmania and South Australia, we will not know the size of the intentions of the Turnbull government to change our horizontal fiscal equalisation distribution of the GST. They buried this report until after the elections because they cannot guarantee to the people of Tasmania whether we will be worse off.

What we know, though, is that with the Turnbull government's changes to the GST distribution scenario, Tasmanians will be worse off. I asked a question today and referred to the Tasmanian Treasury's Revised estimates report, which lists the Turnbull government's proposed changes to the GST formula as a major risk to the Tasmanian state budget. I quote: 'Tasmania's share of the GST could fall by $168 million.' On top of that, the Productivity Commission's interim report shows that GST revenue for South Australia could fall by $557 million.

To the senators opposite who think this is some kind of election ploy, it is all happening on your side. You're the ones keeping Tasmanians and South Australians in the dark. This report was supposed to be handed down in January. We would then go to the state election knowing full well what the Turnbull Liberal government had proposed for the bottom line in Tasmania's budget and, indeed, also in South Australia's budget. But, no, they have decided to instead help the Liberal Party in Tasmania win the election on a false promise. In doing so, they have avoided the necessary scrutiny. Tasmanian voters have the right to know before they go to the polls on 3 March.

We won't give up on this. We won't give up on the way that the Turnbull Liberal government is trying to hide, obfuscate and hoodwink the Tasmanian electorate on this. This is fundamentally important. We talk about horizontal fiscal equalisation. It's something that John Howard certainly supported. He didn't touch it in the way that the Turnbull Liberal government is doing. All week, my Tasmanian colleagues have been interrogating the Liberal leadership in both houses on their plans, but what we haven't heard is anything from the Tasmanian Liberal senators. They have been completely quiet on this issue. Where are they in standing up for Tasmania, Tasmania's revenue and a fair share of revenue from the federal government? Absolutely silent. Tasmania's Leader of the Opposition, Rebecca White, has been doing everything she can since the Treasurer first proposed these changes and will continue to do so, to fight for Tasmania's share of the GST and ensure that our schools and hospitals are funded adequately. (Time expired)