TREASURER:
The meetings I have had have been very constructive. Senator Lazarus has been unwell but we will catch up in due course. I also note that Mr Shorten has been out today with Alannah MacTiernan here in Western Australia. Mr Shorten needs to explain to the Australian people why he wants to keep the Mining Tax. I hope he is upfront with the people of Western Australia saying that he wants to keep the Mining Tax and, potentially, as his Shadow Treasurer said, increase the Mining Tax as well. The fact is, Labor designed the tax, they’re responsible for the tax and now they want to keep the tax. It is the Labor Party that did everything it could to keep the Carbon Tax as well. So, when it comes to Western Australia the Labor Party has a terrible record and justifiably so. Alannah MacTiernan says get rid of it, Bill Shorten says keep it. They are at sixes and sevens in regards to that. Finally, if there are any other issues, I am happy to take them.
REPORTER:
Mr Wang said he wanted to raise the issue of GST with you. Were you able to give him any comfort in that regard?
TREASURER:
Well, we did have a chat about that and a number of other issues. I am sticking to the golden rule of not giving blow-by-blow accounts of what we talked about.
REPORTER:
David Johnston says that WA’s GST share is a scandal. Is he right and are you going to do anything about it?
TREASURER:
Well, there are two things. There is currently a discussion paper out from the Grants Commission. Anyone is able to make a submission to the Grants Commission in relation to the distribution of money from the GST. The second issue is we have Taxation and Federation White Papers – two separate papers. In the Federation White Paper - which will be discussed by the Prime Minister, the Premiers and the Chief Ministers over the next twelve months – there will be an opportunity to further discuss the matters relating to the distribution of GST.
REPORTER:
Do you think WA’s share needs to increase?
TREASURER:
That is a matter for discussion.
REPORTER:
What do you think though?
TREASURER:
What I think is it is a matter for discussion.
REPORTER:
(Inaudible)
TREASURER:
I think they are being very reasonable – the crossbenchers. As I said, anyone who is prepared to be reasonable, we are prepared to talk with and we are prepared to lay down the facts. There is a great deal of hysteria around some of the initiatives in the Budget. Regrettably, sometimes we don’t have the capacity to control that hysteria or influence it but the best way to deal with it is to deal with the facts. For example, the hysteria in relation to my comments this morning on car usage and fuel, my office is releasing the data that has been provided to us and everyone can see that there is a clear trend in Australia that the higher the household income, the more fuel taxes are paid by that household, simple as that. Therefore, it is good to get all the facts out.
REPORTER:
Do you stand by those comments or (inaudible)?
TREASURER:
Yes.
REPORTER:
How far are you prepared to…
TREASURER:
I am happy to lay down the facts and people can have a debate about them. There is clear evidence that outer-metropolitan area households usually drive cars more than many other areas, not in isolated terms, people in regional, remote areas might use their cars more - but if you look at total usage out of the ABS stats, you can see that the higher the income, the more fuel taxes are paid by those households.
REPORTER:
How far are you prepared to compromise on the GP co-payment issue (inaudible)?
TREASURER:
Again, you are speculating about discussions. We are being very measured, and very reasonable. Politics is inevitably the art of compromise but you can’t give away your principles. The principles that we have laid down are that we want to fix the Budget, we want to get Australia back to surplus, we want our country to live within our means and if we do that, then you are going to get the jobs and the prosperity that make the difference in every household right across the nation. Of course, if independent Senators or even – to the surprise of many – if the Labor Party and the Greens are prepared to be reasonable, we are prepared to engage in those discussions but so far, some of them are just not prepared to engage.
REPORTER:
Bob Day says the Government is going to investigate the merits of nuclear-powered submarines. Is that correct?
TREASURER:
I am not familiar with his comment there and I am not familiar with the suggestion.
REPORTER:
Are you prepared to water down the Paid Parental Leave Scheme in negotiations over the GP co-payment?
TREASURER:
The Paid Parental Leave Scheme starts on the 1st of July next year. We have taken it to two elections; we expect the right to implement it. Okay, anything else? Thank you.