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

What we want to do is give Australians, today and into the future, the best possible opportunity to get ahead. On this side of the chamber, we understand that jobs don't grow on trees. We understand that jobs are created by viable, profitable businesses and if we make decisions in this parliament to put businesses in Australia at an ongoing, deliberate, structural competitive disadvantage compared to businesses in other parts of the world where business tax rates are much lower then we put workers here in Australia at a competitive disadvantage because, in the end, nine out of 10 working Australians work for private-sector businesses. Their future job opportunities, their future job security, their future career prospects, their future wage increases depend on the future viability and the future profitability of the businesses that employ them and pay their wages.

I know that Mr Shorten and the Labor Party, which used to support the proposition—

Senator O'Neill interjecting—