Division
Chris Bowen Eighteen months of rolling farce only for the government to gag legislation. Eighteen months of mistakes, mis-steps and lack of consultation, and all of a sudden, after failing to bring it into the House and the Senate last week, after failing to deal with this matter comprehensively, the government takes the decisive action of a gag. Why? To allow National Party members to vote for a 15 per cent backpacker tax. That is what happened in the House a few moments ago: Nationals and rural Liberals voted for a backpacker tax rate of 15 per cent when they could have shown a bit of backbone, a bit of courage, and insisted on a 10½ per cent backpacker tax rate. We will give them another opportunity. We will give them another opportunity, because we will move now, in detail, an amendment which would substitute 10½ per cent for 15 per cent. This is an opportunity for the National Party to grow a spine. This is an opportunity for the National Party to stand up, in Canberra, to the Liberals. This is an opportunity now for this parliament, yet again, to tell this Treasurer that he is out of touch and he has got it wrong. It is an opportunity to tell this Treasurer that he is not up to the job and to go back to the drawing board. It is an opportunity to give us a backpacker tax rate that is competitive with New Zealand so that the horticultural, agricultural, hospitality and tourism sectors can be competitive and attract backpackers, and in those regions those backpackers can then spend their earnings. I have a little update for the Treasurer, who says, 'The Labor Party wants backpackers in Australia to pay no tax.' Well, 10½ per cent is not nothing. That is my update for the Treasurer. It has a zero in it, in the 10. I do accept that fact. I concede that point to the Treasurer, who has been going around saying, 'Bill Shorten and the Labor Party don't want backpackers to pay any tax.' That has never been true. It is not true now. And 10½ is more than zero. It is a rat
House of Representatives, 2016-11-29. negative: ayes 70, noes 78.
Question
Chris Bowen Eighteen months of rolling farce only for the government to gag legislation. Eighteen months of mistakes, mis-steps and lack of consultation, and all of a sudden, after failing to bring it into the House and the Senate last week, after failing to deal with this matter comprehensively, the government takes the decisive action of a gag. Why? To allow National Party members to vote for a 15 per cent backpacker tax. That is what happened in the House a few moments ago: Nationals and rural Liberals voted for a backpacker tax rate of 15 per cent when they could have shown a bit of backbone, a bit of courage, and insisted on a 10½ per cent backpacker tax rate. We will give them another opportunity. We will give them another opportunity, because we will move now, in detail, an amendment which would substitute 10½ per cent for 15 per cent. This is an opportunity for the National Party to grow a spine. This is an opportunity for the National Party to stand up, in Canberra, to the Liberals. This is an opportunity now for this parliament, yet again, to tell this Treasurer that he is out of touch and he has got it wrong. It is an opportunity to tell this Treasurer that he is not up to the job and to go back to the drawing board. It is an opportunity to give us a backpacker tax rate that is competitive with New Zealand so that the horticultural, agricultural, hospitality and tourism sectors can be competitive and attract backpackers, and in those regions those backpackers can then spend their earnings. I have a little update for the Treasurer, who says, 'The Labor Party wants backpackers in Australia to pay no tax.' Well, 10½ per cent is not nothing. That is my update for the Treasurer. It has a zero in it, in the 10. I do accept that fact. I concede that point to the Treasurer, who has been going around saying, 'Bill Shorten and the Labor Party don't want backpackers to pay any tax.' That has never been true. It is not true now. And 10½ is more than zero. It is a rat
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Related bills
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