Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I have some questions that I want to ask that I flagged in my speech in the second reading debate. I am surprised to see that the Greens are not here because I indicated that I was particularly keen to get input from the Greens political party on this levy. As is always the case, when there is not a photo opportunity Senator Brown is never around. I am very impressed when Senator Brown rails against multinationals during debates on this tax and many other taxes that the Labor-Green alliance is proposing to introduce. I indicated in my speech on the second reading that I was going to ask some questions to the minister about this and I was hopeful that the Greens might have been able to participate as well.

I also want to ask Senator Xenophon in the course of consideration, or ask the minister and perhaps Senator Xenophon can contribute, about this deal that Ms Gillard put to him that encouraged him to support this quite iniquitous tax. I will come to that question later, but the question I want to put to the minister at this stage is why is it that this tax, which he and the Greens have told us is so absolutely important for the recovery of my state of Queensland—and other states as well but principally Queensland—is being levied only on individuals? I do not have the figures in front of me, but I am sure the minister will so he will be able to tell me what percentage of the total tax revenue take do individuals pay, and what total contribution to the overall tax take do company, corporate and other tax revenues provide. We know the Greens’ penchant for attacking multinationals, those big companies that rip the profits out of Australia and take those profits overseas. We hear this from the Greens all the time.