Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

No, I fear the day that ever happens, Senator! Mr Bill Shorten said, in an ACOSS speech on 30 March 2011:

… lowering the corporate rate for smaller businesses only (as the Greens propose) creates an artificial incentive for Australian businesses to downsize.

In worse case scenarios some businesses might actually lay people off to get smaller—and the size based different tax treatment would create a glass ceiling on business workforce growth.

Instead we want a level playing field regardless of the size of the company.

Yet we understand that the Labor Party are going to support the tax cuts for businesses that have already been passed by the parliament, which they opposed last year, and they're going to continue to oppose something that they said they didn't support last year. What do the Labor Party really believe? What does Mr Shorten really believe in? I do remember one thing: when Mr Shorten said, 'I'm not sure what the Prime Minister has said, but I agree with everything that she has said.' I think there's one question that we all want answered: what does Mr Shorten really believe in? (Time expired)