Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The point of this motion today, according to the opposition, is to talk about unfairness in the future. Let us take on good faith what they are actually trying to make the argument for, but I think we should also take the opportunity to talk about unfairness today. I want to use the opportunity, firstly, to condemn the remarks of Pauline Hanson in the Senate, and her suggestion that it is in some way appropriate to go out there and argue that children with a disability should be separated out from the rest of the community and from other students in schools. I think that is absolutely unfair. I think it is an absolutely outrageous proposition. I am sure all members, regardless of differences of opinion on the motion, will agree with that.

Deputy Speaker, I have two pugs. One of the great things about the electorate of Goldstein is that it is full of lots of families who have dogs. Ella and Louis are my pugs and often, when I have the opportunity to be at home, we go over to the dog park across the road. But invariably, as you know Deputy Speaker, dogs do one thing—that is, they go around, they sniff around, and they often find things that they probably should not be sniffing—

Mr Zimmerman interjecting—

I will not repeat what the member for North Sydney just said. But dogs sniff around, and they often find things that are a bit foul. And what is foul today—and even Louis or Ella could sniff it today—is the motion being put forward by the opposition. The opposition is putting forward a motion to grandstand—for their cheap political points—at the expense of Australians. My electorate is full of hardworking Australians, industrious people, good people, who look for a sense of justice in this world. But they know that justice comes with responsibility, with people standing up and taking care of their affairs, and with making sure we do everything we can to encourage people to rise and succeed. To go to some of the points that have been raised already by other members: it is quite clear that we in this government are squarely focused on justice and on fairness by making sure that we cut taxes for hardworking Australians. These are hardworking Australians who have actually gone out, earned a quid, and put their labour and their energy on the line at any time to support themselves and their families. And we should be encouraging them to do that. But it is not just people who are salary-earners, although they are very important; it is also the people in business. The people in business who have taken risks, who have had a tough time. They had a tough time for many years—firstly they had to survive the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era where, increasingly, they were taxed by the government. That government did not actually support them at the time to build their opportunities with their businesses. That government actually used it as an opportunity to tax them, and to tax them more, and to target those people in business who wanted to do better for the rest of the community. This government is focused on—and quite rightly so—making sure that everybody in this country meets their responsibilities. I think where the government should be applauded particularly is focusing on the challenges around multinational taxation. The efforts that this government has gone to to tackle multinational tax avoidance are very real. We have seen numbers in the billions being put forward—about how much multinationals have not been contributing, and now are—because we are making sure that there is a diverted profits tax, to make sure that multinationals cannot get away with tax avoidance. Similarly, we are implementing the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law and increasing the resources necessary for the Australian Taxation Office to make sure that they crack down on multinationals who do not do the right thing. That is the thing: we are a country where everybody has to have freedom, justice and responsibility, and everybody has to shoulder that responsibility together. It is only when we do that that we can fund the social dividend that we all believe in, which actually delivers a sense of justice in society. To sit here each question time while those opposite talk about the National Disability Insurance Scheme even though they did not fund it—and we now are—is just extraordinary.

When it comes down to it, there are millions of Australians who need support and assistance from the government for legitimate reasons. The least that the opposition could do is be honest with the public in explaining to them the consequences of their bad policy. They go out there and shed their crocodile tears when it suits them, but will not even honour the commitment that they have made in previous elections. One of the members before raised a narrative, which I thought was a very good opportunity and it inspired me. When it comes down to it, Labor is never going to give you up, they are going to let you down, they are going to run around and desert you, they will make you cry, their taxes will never say goodbye, they will just lie and hurt you.

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