Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Here we have the socialist conscience of the Labor Party interjecting again, dismissing our plan for a more competitive business tax rate as 'trickle-down economics'. Let me explain it very carefully for the Senate and for the senator who has just interjected. Helping businesses be more successful means they can hire more Australians and pay them better wages. For individual Australians to be the most successful they can be, the businesses that employ them have to be as successful as they possibly can be. Unless you actually ensure that people across Australia have the right incentives to pursue aspirations, to pursue success, then we let everybody down. Suggesting that we should pursue a culture of equality means that we will drive the situation for Australians down to the lowest common denominator, to a level of mediocrity. That is what the historical failure of socialism has shown all around the world. We don't want to take Australia down the path of mediocrity and the lowest common denominator. (Time expired)