Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

It's all right, I can cope with it—but it does make it rather unparliamentary, I think. I look forward to the Labor Party staying firm on this and I look forward to the Labor Party actually saying that corporate tax cuts are not the way to go, because that is the direction that we need to head in. It would be extremely disappointing if, at some time down the track when we have a Labor government, they suddenly also fall into this myth that corporate tax cuts are going to be good for Australia, good for our economy and good for our society. It's very clear: if you look at countries around the world, at the places where people really want to live, that rate the highest in terms of satisfaction and happiness, they are not the areas that have got low corporate tax rates.

Then we've got the others on the crossbench. I think it's very sad that they have seemingly been bought off. They have been given a few bits of silver for their pet projects and, suddenly, they are all over corporate tax cuts. One Nation say that they are there for the battler, but the benefits of these corporate tax cuts for the battler are next to zero. We don't know what deal has been done with them. This isn't democracy at work; this is just playing various people off and offering them bits that they accept, rather than fundamentally saying what's in the interests of Australia. It's exactly like when Senator Hanson backed the $315 income tax cut for the richest Australians.

It's very clear—we have a choice. Going in the direction of these corporate tax cuts is not the direction that Australia needs to head in. If we want to have a society that functions well, that works well, that reduces inequality, where democracy and what's in the interests of ordinary people are what hold sway, then going in the direction of corporate tax cuts is not the way to go. We have a choice here in this parliament today, and I urge the crossbench to join the Greens in speaking out loudly and voting against this direction of increasing inequality in society. We've got a choice here. We can knock back these corporate tax cuts, and then we can move on towards creating a more equal, more caring and more sustainable economy and society for Australia.