Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf ofSenators Bilyk, Wong, Singh, Gallacher, Polley, Farrell and Brown, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that, on 3 January 2018, the Treasurer (Mr Morrison) announced that the final report of the Productivity Commission's inquiry into the economic impact of horizontal fiscal equalisation would be delayed to 15 May 2018;

(b) notes that the Productivity Commission's draft report revealed that under changes to the distribution of GST revenue Tasmania stands to lose $168 million in the first year alone, and South Australia stands to lose $557 million in the first year alone;

(c) notes that the Turnbull Government's decision means the final report will not be delivered until after the South Australian and Tasmanian state elections, and after the next Federal budget is handed down;

(d) condemns the Turnbull Government for hiding its plans from the people of Australia; and

(e) calls on the Turnbull Government to make its planned changes to the distribution of the GST clear before South Australians and Tasmanians vote in upcoming state elections.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion is a stunt by the Labor Party and factually wrong. The Productivity Commission is an independent body that requested that the horizontal fiscal equalisation report deadline be extended to 15 May to allow sufficient time for them to complete the report. The figures quoted are cameos from a draft report relating to last year's GST relativities, and it is incorrect to suggest these numbers reflect the impact of potential changes to the equalisation system. The government is not hiding any plans to change the GST. The government will respond to the Productivity Commission's final report after it's completed in May.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion no. 690 be agreed to.