Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. How is the government standing up for a fair go for hardworking families and small business and what other approaches are there?

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for his question. This government has a plan to make sure that hardworking Australians get a fair go. As part of this plan we have been strengthening our consumer protection laws. We have introduced for the first time a national consumer law. We have introduced unit pricing and unfair contract terms. We have been cracking down on unconscionable conduct and we have also been cracking down on the unscrupulous activities of door-to-door selling. We have criminalised cartel conduct, something that when the coalition was in government they were advised to do and refused to do it.

Today I have asked the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Committee to identify ways of cracking down and ending some of the unfair credit card surcharges that are slugging consumers. In fact, a survey released today by Choice indicated that a family of four flying to Bali could be stung with surcharges of up to $100 on top of their airfares. These practices are unacceptable. Whilst, of course, we will await the report from the council, our government stands ready to act and to end these rip-offs. Just as we have been standing up for hardworking Australians by shining a light on these unfair practices slugging consumers, equally we have been shining a light on unfair practices of multinational companies engaging in profit shifting. That is why in this year's budget our government handed down a package of measures, $4 billion worth of measures, to crack down on corporate tax loopholes. These tax loopholes give large multinationals an unfair competitive advantage over Australian businesses that are paying their fair share, but equally if the most profitable companies in the world are not paying their fair share of tax that means that hardworking Australians and small businesses are left to foot the bill.

Do not expect those opposite to stand up for a fair go for hardworking Australians. In fact, they would rather give a free kick to the tax avoiders. That is what we have seen in recent times. I saw the shadow Treasurer, when giving his budget reply speech at the Press Club, saying: 'We're going to break up the ATO and water down its powers.' At a time when right around the globe revenue authorities are seeking to crack down on profit-shifting activities of multinationals avoiding paying their fair share of tax, the shadow Treasurer's answer is to go soft on them. They will go soft on tax avoiders. Only Labor will stand up for hardworking Australians.