Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

) ( ): My question is to Senator Colbeck, the Minister representing the Minister for Territories, Local Government and Major Projects. Will the minister rule out extending the GST to council rates?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ALP seems to be under some misapprehension that we are proposing a change in the GST. There is no proposal from the government on the table to change the GST. If the Labor Party wants to go through every part of the economy then it is quite welcome to spend their question times doing that, but we have no proposals on the table to change the GST. So the question raised by Senator Wong in respect to council rates is a completely moot one.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer went for less than one minute. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister rule out extending the GST to water and sewerage rates?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we could end up having a very efficient question time if the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate wants to go through every element of someone's council rates, or whatever account that she might like to dream up. The answer is the same: we have no proposal to change the GST. So I look forward to Senator Wong's next question, which is no doubt in relation to another part of council rates, that ignores what I have just given to her in the previous questions. There is no proposal on the table to change the GST.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left and my right!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given the minister has refused to rule out extending the GST to council rates and refused to rule out extending the GST to water and sewerage rates, will he now rule out extending the GST to Meals on Wheels?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This would be one of the lowest acts that I have seen from the opposition. When I have quite clearly stated twice already that we have no proposal to change the GST, for you, Senator Wong, to try to scare people who depend on Meals on Wheels by running out a question like that is, quite frankly, a disgrace. To try to scare elderly people who rely on Meals on Wheels—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Order, Minister! Order on both sides!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order on relevance. I asked the minister to rule out the proposition. He has not once done so. Everybody knows what your real plan is.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The minister has been answering the question.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to make the point to reassure those people who the Labor Party are trying, disgracefully—shamefully—to scare. There is no proposal by this government to change the GST. They can shout, they can yell, they can be as disorderly as they like from that side and they can try to shamefully scare whoever they like. We have no proposal to change the GST. (Time expired)