Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House—

(1) notes:

(a) on Monday, the Prime Minister guaranteed to the Australian people that "lower business taxes result in higher wages";

(b) on Tuesday, a secret survey of big business revealed that over 80 per cent of big businesses ruled out increasing wages or employing more Australians because of the Prime Minister's $65 billion handout;

(c) that today, in the last half hour, a leaked draft of a statement from the Business Council of Australia reveals the commitments that big businesses were unwilling to give:

(i) a commitment to "create more Australian jobs" was in the draft but deleted from the final statement;

(ii) a commitment to "increase wages" was in the draft but deleted from the final statement; and

(iii) a commitment to pay tax was in the draft but deleted from the final statement; and

(d) the Prime Minister is still claiming his $65 billion handout to big business will create jobs and increase wages when even big business says it won't; and

(2) therefore, calls on this out of touch Prime Minister to admit his $65 billion handout to big business is another example of this Government choosing the top end of town over ordinary Australians.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Watson from moving the following motion immediately—That the House—

(1) notes:

(a) on Monday, the Prime Minister guaranteed to the Australian people that "lower business taxes result in higher wages";

(b) on Tuesday, a secret survey of big business revealed that over 80 per cent of big businesses ruled out increasing wages or employing more Australians because of the Prime Minister's $65 billion handout;

(c) that today, in the last half hour, a leaked draft of a statement from the Business Council of Australia reveals the commitments that big businesses were unwilling to give:

(i) a commitment to "create more Australian jobs" was in the draft but deleted from the final statement;

(ii) a commitment to "increase wages" was in the draft but deleted from the final statement; and

(iii) a commitment to pay tax was in the draft but deleted from the final statement; and

(d) the Prime Minister is still claiming his $65 billion handout to big business will create jobs and increase wages when even big business says it won't; and

(2) therefore, calls on this out of touch Prime Minister to admit his $65 billion handout to big business is another example of this Government choosing the top end of town over ordinary Australians.

The Prime Minister has been caught out red-handed. Big business have made it clear what this handout is all about.

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