Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, when was the last time any Australian government introduced a new tax which did not raise any revenue in its first quarter? Why should anyone trust anything this government says about the budget when it comes up with a complex new tax on an important industry which does not raise any money and when the government has spent all of the revenue it thought it would raise and more? Is it any wonder this government has still got $173 billion worth of accumulated deficits?

Senator Conroy interjecting—