Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I go back to your previous statement, where you said it adds cost to businesses. This would only add a cost to 1,192 rather well-off businesses, and I'm trying to understand why you would give them a cost advantage over all the other businesses that have to do exactly what this exemption exempts these large companies from doing—that is, to simply lodge a financial return with ASIC. You're describing a situation, which is actually the offence here, where very large companies owned by wealthy people somehow have to do something less than other companies, which may be struggling a bit. How is it that that is fair, Minister?