Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in response to the matter of public importance submitted to the Senate by our parliamentary colleague from South Australian, Senator Wong. Although I applaud the spirit of Senator Wong in raising this matter of public importance in this place, I am frankly galled by the political nonsense inherent in the senator's insinuation that the Labor Party somehow has a superior vision for Australia's future. In this matter of public importance, Senator Wong blindly echoes the cheap populism and desperate rhetoric of her disingenuous leader. Indeed, the Leader of the Opposition, with his cheap and easy calls for fairness and equality, under which hide a dangerous redistributionist agenda, clearly believes he has found a path through his lack of personal appeal to voters and is desperately channelling the populist exploitations of the UK's Jeremy Corbyn. If you'll excuse the pun on such a serious matter, Bill Shorten is clearly remaking himself as a Corbyn copy of his UK socialist hero. Do you like that?

Let me remind the chamber of the Turnbull government's approach to a fairer and better Australia. Three months ago, the Treasurer delivered his budget in the other place. It was a budget firmly centred entirely on the notions of fairness, opportunity and security. Indeed, those on this side of the chamber are the staunch defenders of these notions, including fairness, but not of a populist, lowest-common-denominator, divisive definition of fairness. It is not a 'chapter 1, page 1 of the socialist playbook of the politics of envy' definition of fairness, nor is it a 'when all else fails, engage in class warfare' definition of fairness, conjuring a Monopoly-man-esque image of the rich Australian using trusts to legally avoid his fair dues of tax. The coalition's view of fairness is an inclusive one. It is a fairness that unites the nation in common purpose and does not divide it for political purpose.

The idea of fairness perpetuated by Labor and the Greens is a very, very narrow construct about distribution from those who have to those who have less. It doesn't take into account the innovation, the risks and the sacrifices taken by small business people that enable them to build a business and employ others. Fairness should also involve rewarding them for their risks, their sacrifices and their sleepless nights in order to create something of value. Government must never lose sight of the risks taken by industrious men and women in this country nor seek to punish their success.

I take, for example, the attack by those opposite on family trusts. Discretionary trusts, as we all know, are not tax avoidance structures. They can be, and often are, used by farmers and by small businesses to aid in things like succession planning and asset protection. And that the Labor Party would dismiss trusts simply as a crude tool of the tax-avoiding rich is an insult—an insult to the multitude of small businesses and agricultural trusts in Australia. It's an insult to small business people and it's an insult to farmers.

This is just the latest hit to small business from a Labor Party that doesn't understand that Australian small businesses drive Australian jobs and wages. Following their refusal to keep the lower company tax rate that the Turnbull government has legislated for small businesses, this is a party that simply doesn't care about small business. I know that those opposite might like to think that in the catchcry 'fairness' they have found a phrase that will 'Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war'. But, in my mind, I feel that they have actually unleashed a poodle as opposed to a pit bull here.

The Australian public are not fools; they know that higher taxes are not the answer. Higher taxes will not solve the problems for those that have been left behind. As the Treasurer so plainly and so clearly put it: higher taxes don't increase your wage. Higher taxes don't increase your wage—that is a flat-earth argument that will penalise Australian families and whack small businesses. Indeed, the Parliamentary Budget Office has released the costings of Australia's new taxation plan, and it will be no surprise to hear that they estimated a cost to the economy in excess of $167 million. Now, how Senator Wong, the Leader of the Opposition or indeed anybody on that side of the chamber in Labor's parliamentary caucus could see this as good tax policy—as fair tax policy—is totally beyond me. It truly is a mystery.

Acting Deputy President, you will hear those opposite, those whose hopes are desperately pinned upon some improvement in the Leader of the Opposition's personal popularity, repeat the mantra of inequality and fairness like a broken record. But, as the Leader of the Opposition himself said in his budget reply speech, repetition is no substitute for conviction. For our country's sake, for our children's sake, we cannot allow Labor's creeping redistributionist agenda to come to pass. This is not a new vision; it has never been a new vision. It is the oldest play in the ALP's little red book. It is a socialist wolf in Labor's sheep's clothing.

So, I thank Senator Wong. I thank her very much for bringing this matter to the attention of the chamber. But I feel confident in dismissing this matter of public importance as simply the politically motivated nonsense that it is. And I thank the chamber for its time.