PRIME MINISTER:
Good to see you all.
We’ve always said as a Government and as a Coalition that if Labor came back, the boats would be back; the mining tax would be back; and now we find out that if Labor were to come back, the carbon tax would be back: not just the carbon tax that we had before, but a carbon tax which is going to have a triple-whammy effect; a carbon tax that will act as an emissions trading scheme on households, a special carbon tax on power generation, and yet another carbon tax on cars.
So, this just shows that Labor can’t learn and hasn’t changed. And it shows that Bill Shorten is, in every respect, a carbon copy of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, do you welcome the nuclear deal with Iran or do you have any worries about it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, we give it a cautious welcome but I probably should stress the caution at least as much as the welcome. Yes, we certainly want a nuclear-free Middle East. The Middle East is the most unstable and dangerous part of the world. If any country in the Middle East were to get nuclear weapons that would be a horrifying escalation of tension. The last place we want to see a nuclear arms race is the Middle East and if any further country gets nuclear weapons I suspect there will be a lot of other countries rushing for them. So, my hope is that this is a stop – an absolute stop – to Iran getting nuclear weapons rather than just a delay.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, what do you think of the Grattan Institute’s idea or the policy idea that undeveloped land should be charged $2 tax per thousand dollars of value? Do you think it has merit to potentially replace stamp duty on properties in states?
PRIME MINISTER:
Matt, what the states do is a matter for the states. As far as this Government is concerned, we want taxes that are lower, simpler and fairer. We absolutely want taxes that are lower, simpler and fairer. That is why we have scrapped the carbon tax, scrapped the mining tax, we have reduced company tax for small business and we have provided the instant asset write-off for small business. So, we are in the business of cutting tax, not in the business of raising tax or shifting tax.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, just back on the carbon issue. Opening up to international permits would cut the cost of the scheme, wouldn't it? Doesn't this, on the face of it, seem like a reasonable idea?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the interesting thing, Sid, is that this Government, through Direct Action – and because of the sensible changes that businesses have put in place – is actually securing very strong reductions in emissions. Our emissions by 2020 will be at least 13 per cent down on 2005 levels and we are confident we can continue on a strong trajectory of emissions reduction without damaging the economy through the imposition of carbon taxes – whether they're fixed carbon taxes or floating carbon taxes. We are confident that we can protect the environment, we can get emissions down without doing damage to the economy. Labor, on the other hand, wants to damage our economy by reintroducing not just a carbon tax but a triple-whammy carbon tax on households, on power stations, and on cars.
QUESTION:
The Treasurer this morning and today is talking about the states raising revenue to be commensurate with their funding responsibilities. Surely things like property taxes and GST increases would have a far greater impact on the cost of living than an international permit scheme. Do you think the two messages are conflicting you’re delivering today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, no, Phil. What I am saying is that we certainly want to see more efficient and more effective governance over time. We want to see better schools and better public hospitals. We want to see less interference of one government with another government and that is very much what I will be canvassing with the Premiers next week at the leaders’ retreat.
What this Government is on about is doing everything we can in our sphere to bring taxes down, and that is why we have scrapped the carbon tax, scrapped the mining tax, reduced company tax and given the small business budget tax cut.
Labor wants to bring taxes back and put taxes up because Labor is addicted to spending. You just can't trust Labor not to be a pain in the hip pocket – and that is what we saw today. Yes, the boats will be back if Labor comes back, the mining tax will be back if Labor comes back and now we know from this leaked shadow cabinet document that the carbon tax will be back, not just in one guise, but a triple-whammy carbon tax if Labor comes back.
[ends]