L
PRIME MINISTER
STATMET BY THE PRIME MINISTER. THE NON P. J. KURATING, MU'
RESPONSE TO HEWSON POLICY STAT2Wf
Dr Hewsan talked today about looking people in the eye
and what he failed to do once again was look Australians
in the eye and tell them bow a 15 per cent Goods and
Services Tax will create jobs when it has taitled
everywhere else.
What he called today a tax reform is in fact a tax slug.
Today's Liberal Policy launc -h did nothing but increase
the speed with which Dr Hewson's credibility is fading.
It was notable not for what was announced, but for what
was kept secret or left unexplained.
Hie failed to answer real concerns about the key question
in this election campaign.
He tailed to explain why Australia needs a Goods and
Service. Tax.
He failed to show how it would create one new job.
He failed to release a list of the goods and services
which will rise In price uinder a GST.
He failed to explain why all small -businesses must become
tax collectors and waste hours each week processing his
complicated GST paperwork.
Hie also failed to explain how he will fund his promises,
given the $ 7-8 billion hole dug by his absurdly inflated
Telecom figure.
He also tailed to say why he wants to remove bulk-billing
for 13 million Australian. and make people pay $ 32 up
front for each visit to the doctor.
He tailed to explain why he and John Howard will not
release the Coalition's industrial relations legislation
until after the election.
He failed to explain why he wants to pay Australia's
youth $ 3 an hour. while paying doctors $ 3 a minute. 6785
2
He failed to explain why he wants to restrict access to
education by charging full fees for university more
than $ 25,000 for an arts degree.
He failed to explain why he wants to cut S53 million from
th AR nd make others cuts to SBS. the Australia
Council and the CSIRO.
He failed to explain how, with his attacks on living
standards, wages and working conditions, universal health
care, education, social security, and our greatest
cultural institutions, his GST package differs from those
policies which have failed with a devastating social and
economic impact in other countries.
He failed to explain why Australia needs a failed model
.1 with a debilitating and unjust flat tax-at the centre of
It.
And, perhaps most importantly, he failed to explain why Dr
Howson's package of:
a 15% consumption tax a 42% cnmpaLny rate a
disruptive industrial relations model
is likely to ' create more jobs than Labor's
no consumption tax a 32% company rate
cooperative industrial relations an investment
allowance of. up to
While Dr Hewson was pretending to look Australians in the
eye, he should have also taken the chance to explain to
them the policies he has failed to release or adequately
explain such as the environment and industrial relations.
PE'R 1. March 1993
6786