Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

On the question of Qantas, the Treasurer did lay down four criteria, but the first preference of Qantas had been to remove, as my colleagues have described it, the shackles of the Qantas Sale Act and give them a capacity to lower their cost of capital by being able to bring in more capital, including from overseas.

It is passing strange that, when this government takes action to create a level playing field, all the opposition can argue about is whether four criteria were met, when, with respect to the overriding criterion, the Treasurer had made the point that there may be interim steps if it is not possible to remove those restrictions. But the cabinet made a decision that those restrictions should be removed. That is their first preference. If the other side of the house cooperates, that can happen, just as the other side of the house should cooperate in allowing this government to meet its election commitments around the carbon tax, the mining tax—and we go through the list.