ZED SESELJA:
It’s great to be here with my colleague, Peter Hendy, from just over the border and to welcome, of course, the Prime Minister and the Treasurer, Joe Hockey, here today to Harvey Norman in Fyshwick.
We’ve been hearing from businesses right around Canberra and I know my colleagues right around Australia, just about the boost in confidence that we’ve seen as a result of the Budget. We’ve been hearing that here at Harvey Norman in Fyshwick again today and, of course, that’s fantastic because Harvey Norman, whilst it’s a large company, even here we see lots of small businesses that make up this particular Harvey Norman and what we’re hearing at Harvey Norman we’ve also been hearing in other parts of Canberra. So, that’s really good news.
So, I’m really pleased that we can continue to promote the Government’s Budget, particularly the small business package. So, thank you for being here and with that, I’ll hand over to the Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks, Zed, thanks, Peter. It is really good to be here at Harvey Norman in Fyshwick to talk about the best budget ever for small business and to talk about the biggest budget boost that small business has ever had.
When we do something in Canberra, it's not just designed to appeal to a bunch of economists; it's designed to appeal to the people of Australia. It's designed to have an impact on the people of Australia and in stores like this right around our country it is plainly having an impact. Sales are up, interest is up because the small businesses of Australia, they want to invest in their businesses, in their staff, in their customers and that's what the $20,000 instant asset write off is all about.
It's all about this Government voting confidence in the small businesses of Australia; it's all about this Government encouraging the small businesses of Australia to have a go, and plainly, they want to have a go. That's their nature. They are by nature creative, innovative people, they're initiative-takers, they want to get out there, they want to invest in their businesses, in their staff, in their customers and that's why this is a budget for growth and jobs. That's what it's all about. This is a Budget for growth and jobs.
Now, the Parliament does have a very clear job ahead of us over the next week or so and that is to make sure the small business budget boost gets through as quickly as possible. While there is enormous interest and sales certainly have picked up, there are still reports that some businesses are holding back because they're fearful that the Labor Party may not pass this legislation – may not pass this legislation quickly. So, my message to the Parliament is: do the right thing by the small businesses of Australia; do the right thing by the workers of Australia and the families of Australia and get the small business budget boost through straight away.
I want to say to the Treasurer, this Budget is a great credit to you, Joe. You've been working incredibly hard on this for months. Now it's there for the benefit of the Australian people. So, well done.
TREASURER:
Thanks, Prime Minister. You know, there is real momentum that is building associated around the Budget. We are going to debate in the House of Representatives this week the small business measures in the Budget. They will go through the House of Representatives this week. There's only two sitting weeks for the Senate before the end of the financial year, so it's absolutely essential that the Labor Party support us to get this legislation through as quickly as possible to give certainty to small business so that they can go out and buy the things that they need to grow their business and to create jobs.
There is a growing momentum around these initiatives that is helping to strengthen the Australian economy and for a business like Harvey Norman, which actually has a lot of franchisees who are small and medium-sized business people, the benefit flows through from real activity.
Importantly, there is a lot of Australian manufactured goods as well as imported goods that people are buying and you can see that also help local manufacturing businesses. So, there are great initiatives at play. There is a huge demand. There's also great demand for more information. We are responding with advertisements and direction to the Budget website which is helping to better inform the two million small businesses out there of the real benefits of what have we're doing for the economy.
PRIME MINISTER:
Ok, do we have any questions?
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, did you take Cabinet by surprise with your proposal on citizenship?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
QUESTION:
On the part relating to sole-nationals specifically? Did that element take Cabinet by surprise?
PRIME MINISTER:
No. Look, we have a very clear position here and our fundamental position is that we will do whatever is necessary to keep our community safe. The first priority of government has always got to be the safety of our community. There are, tragically, people in our community who would do us harm, and what we've proposed is that we will remove citizenship from terrorists who are dual nationals. That's going to the Parliament in a matter of weeks. We've also got a discussion paper which is being led by Philip Ruddock and Connie Fierravanti-Wells and that will canvass other issues, but the proposal that went to the Cabinet was endorsed by the Cabinet.
QUESTION:
Would you allow a conscience vote in relation to Bill Shorten’s bill and will you see that held off until the Spring session with Warren Entsch?
PRIME MINISTER:
My priority is getting the budget measures through the Parliament. I accept that same-sex marriage is a significant issue. It's an important issue. It's important to many people. But frankly, this Government's absolute fundamental priority in the budget session of Parliament is to get the most urgent budget measures through and by far the most urgent budget measure is the small business budget boost, so that's what I'm focused on.
QUESTION:
Will you help, Prime Minister, for Warren Entsch to negotiate with Bill Shorten one on one for a bipartisan bill?
PRIME MINISTER:
My understanding is that every one of the Coalition's Members of Parliament is focused on doing everything possible to get the budget measures through the Parliament in this budget session. Now, I accept that there are a range of views inside the Coalition, just as there is a range of views inside the Labor Party, just as there are a range of views inside the community. And people are perfectly entitled to talk to their colleagues on this and any other issue, but everyone, every single one of us on the Coalition side, is focused in the next few weeks on getting our small business budget boost through the Parliament.
QUESTION:
What would you say to Members of the Coalition Party Room who are agitating to co-sponsor a bill on this to take some of the political power away from Bill Shorten on same-sex marriage?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we don't have to do everything immediately. What we need to do right now is get the small business budget boost through the Parliament. That's the focus of the Government. That's the focus of every Government Member of Parliament. Doesn't mean that people don't have other interests for down the track, but nevertheless this is something that we are absolutely focused on – getting the small business budget boost through the Parliament, because as we've heard this morning, there are lots and lots of small businesses out there that are already investing, but there are more that will invest once they have the confidence of the legislation being passed. That's why passing this legislation is so important.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, isn't it a bit limiting though of the Government and the Parliament to expect it to do only do one thing at the one time? At the moment you are focusing on small business but you're also finding time to have a debate quite rightly about removing citizenship from dual nationals. Why can't you find time to have a debate about same-sex marriage?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, if Members of Parliament feel sufficiently strongly about this, all sorts of things can happen. But I can tell you what this Government's priorities are, and as always, this Government will prioritise economic security and national security. That's what this Government will always focus on. And right now, that means, first and foremost, fundamentally, getting the budget business boost through the Parliament.
QUESTION:
What's your sense, though, Prime Minister? Do you think most Australians are in support of same-sex marriage?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, let's see where the community debate goes. Obviously, there is a community debate taking place. There's a range of views on both sides of the issue and it's an issue upon which decent people can disagree – let's see where it all goes.
QUESTION:
In relation to credit cards and the banks obviously the Reserve Bank has been questioned today in Estimates about why the credit card rate is so different to the cash rate. What's your opinion – are the banks being greedy? Can anyone make them pass this on?
PRIME MINISTER:
I always think banks are being greedy when they want their money back. All human beings are like that but they have commercial decisions to make. If you don't like what your bank decides, you can always go and seek a better deal from another bank. I'm in favour of competition. I'm in favour of free markets and I want to let the market run.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, what does Dan Tehan’s letter, the support that he has with the backbench, say to you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I haven't seen the letter, as yet, but I understand that there is a letter that I'm likely to get soon enough. What it says to me is that out there in the community, there is an absolute concentration on keeping our community safe. What it says to me is that conscientious local members are listening to their people and they are doing their best to bring what they think is the right message back here to the Parliament. Now, that's what I want to do. I want to do everything that we humanly can to keep our people safe. Absolutely, we have to be respectful of the rule of law. That's at the heart of our civilisation and that's why the changes which we are proposing to strip citizenship from terrorists who are dual nationals will be subject to judicial review and they won't be done to render anyone stateless.
QUESTION:
You've seen a lot of Cabinet leaks over your time. We've seen a lot of Cabinet leaks but very few as comprehensive as the one on this issue. Are you concerned about your Cabinet solidarity and what's your message to those Cabinet colleagues who are obviously leaking box and dice on this issue?
PRIME MINISTER:
Mark, look, I know it's the nature of people in and around Parliament House to want to focus on process but I think the public want us to focus on outcomes and the public don't really care about who said what to whom in any particular meeting. What they want to know is that this is a government which has got a clear and strong plan to protect them and plainly we have. As I say, within a couple of weeks, we will be introducing into the Parliament legislation to strip citizenship from terrorists who are dual nationals and that's the government's position and I want to know what the Labor Party's position is. This legislation will be going into the Parliament. I think the public are overwhelmingly in favour of it. I want to know where Labor stands. Are they prepared to make a stand for our country? Are they prepared to say that it is a fundamental of Australian citizenship that you look after our community, respect our values, respect our citizens, respect your fellow Australian and in no way participate in terrorist activities against our country?
Thank you.
[ends]