Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Liberal and National parties' opposition to small-business tax cuts clearly puts in jeopardy their capacity to make a profit and their capacity to employ by making it tougher for business in Australia. By refusing to support them with tax cuts, they are making it tougher for those businesses and making it harder for them to employ Australians.

We in this government have sought to ensure that the mining boom benefits spread throughout the economy, that companies which are doing it tougher, which are having trouble managing to pay and hold onto labour, will have the capacity to help meet their costs by having tax reform and tax cuts. But the Liberal Party have got themselves in the position now where they oppose tax cuts for small business. They want to hand windfall revenue back to mining companies. They want to increase taxes on larger companies and they want to remove pensions and family payments from ordinary Australians. They have got themselves into a complete mess and they ought to rethink their position. (Time expired)