E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2016

SUBJECT/S: Morrison’s $107 million hole in Omnibus Bill; Donations

JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE: The Treasurer Scott Morrison has been humiliated by a $107 million black hole in his Omnibus Savings Bill. For two weeks, he’s been wandering around the country insisting that Labor support a savings package which doesn’t even add up. For two weeks he’s been wandering around the country insisting that this package adds up to more than $6 billion, when we know now that it adds up to less than $6 billion. It was only nine days ago, at the Sydney Institute that the Finance Minister said that the package totalled $6.5 billion. By yesterday morning, with the presentation of the legislation, it was $6.1 billion and immediately, or during Question Time, and then immediately afterwards, we discovered that the savings package adds up to less than $6 billion. For two weeks he’s been wandering around the country demanding consistency and clarity from the Labor Party, while his own party is having their superannuation policy vandalised and brutalised by the back bench and is still a month away. Then there’s the humiliating spectacle of the Treasurer having to skulk into the House of Representatives yesterday to correct a $107 million error.

The Omnibus Savings Package has become an omni-shambles and now the Treasurer is throwing his Treasury under the omni-bus. He is gutlessly pointing the finger at officials for an error that he should take responsibility for himself. The Treasurer had two weeks to discover the error that we discovered in less than two days. Our cautious approach, our careful approach to this savings package has been warranted and it has been justified. With elementary mistakes like this, is it any wonder that the Treasurer and the Government have proven completely incapable of fixing the Budget in a fair way? Is it any wonder that the deficit has tripled since their 2014 Budget; debt has blown out by more than $100 billion; and the AAA credit rating is at risk.

We now discover, to add to Scott Morrison’s woes, that he has been caught changing his website. At 1 o’clock yesterday, the website referred to “over $6 billion in savings measures” in the Omnibus Savings Package. By 6pm last night, it was edited to say “to $6 billion”. So the farce continues. Two weeks where they can’t get their story straight; two weeks where they can’t get their sums right. Is it any wonder that they are making such a mess of the Budget? We’re in the cart for a constructive conversation about Budget repair that is fair. This Government has proven incapable of that conversation. This is a Government which stumbles from one stuff-up to the next and the $107 million black hole in their savings package is just more evidence of that.

JOURNALIST: You’ve been quite critical of the Omnibus Bill. Does that mean that Labor’s not going to support it at all?

CHALMERS: What it means is that our cautious approach to the Omnibus Savings Bill has been warranted. We’ve been saying all along that we would take the time to go through the savings package to ensure that it reflected the positions that Labor took but also to make sure that the Government is capable of getting its own sums right. It’s disappointing, but not entirely surprising, to learn that the Treasurer – this hopeless and hapless Treasurer – can’t even add up a simple table in his own Omnibus Bill. He’s pointing the finger at officials in his characteristically gutless way. He should take responsibility for this black hole in his own savings package. The fact that he couldn’t discover this black hole in two weeks, when it took us less than two days, shows that our approach to this Bill has been entirely warranted, entirely sensible, entirely responsible and we will continue to go through it. Because who knows what other elementary mistakes he has made.

JOURNALIST: Should your colleague Sam Dastyari resign from the front bench?

CHALMERS: Of course not. Sam declared this matter. He has said that he made an error of judgement. He’s taken steps to rectify it and I think that should be the end of the matter.

JOURNALIST: He said he made an error of judgement, but he hasn’t apologised. Should he have apologised?

CHALMERS: Well the words he uses are a matter for Sam. The donation was declared in the appropriate way. He stood up in the Senate, took responsibility for the error and I think the matter should rest there.

JOURNALIST: Do you think there should be a ban on foreign donations, or a closer look at foreign donations?

CHALMERS: I think we need an ongoing conversation in this country about how we have the best possible electoral laws and that includes laws around donations. As a first step, we should be talking about lowering the donation disclosure threshold. We’ve had a policy on the table for some time, which says that any donation over $1000 should be declared. The government says that threshold should be $13,000, which makes no sense to me. We do need an ongoing discussion in this place and around the country about the best possible electoral laws and that should begin with an appropriate threshold for declaring donations. It should be $1000, not $13,000.

JOURNALIST: Senator Dastyari reportedly told the Chinese that he supported their view on the South China Sea. Has he gone and freelanced and changed Labor Party policy on that matter?

CHALMERS: I’m not aware of whether he said that or not. I’m not aware of reports that you’re referring to. All I know is that he declared the donation. He has fronted up and accepted responsibility for the error. I don’t have any more to add than that.

JOURNALIST: Should all Labor politicians be looking at whether they have received money from foreign entities, just to double check?

CHALMERS: It’s incumbent on everyone in this building to make sure that their affairs are in order when it comes to donations. Donations are overwhelmingly a legitimate thing in our democracy if they comply with the electoral laws. I’ve said already if there are ways to tighten up the laws, then they should be looked at and that should begin with the threshold.

JOURNALIST: Senator Dastyari once said that “you know you’re in trouble when no-one’s talking to you in the building”. Have you been talking to Senator Dastyari about what he’s done?

CHALMERS: I don’t think Sam has any trouble rustling up conversations around the building. He’s well known to many of us. I think he did the right thing in, firstly, declaring it; secondly, putting his hand up for the error and I think it should rest there. Thanks very much.