E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
LOGAN
THURSDAY, 18 APRIL 2019
 
SUBJECT/S: Morrison unable to quantify Liberals’ tax cuts for top end of town; LNP needs to forfeit illegal developer donations; Latest revelations about Jetset George Christensen; Right-wing fringe parties

JIM CHALMERS, LABOR CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON: Scott Morrison's had a shocker this morning. He's been asked how much of his tax cuts for the top end of town will go to people on the highest income bracket, and he was either unwilling or unable to 'fess up to the Australian people that there's tens of billions of dollars that he wants to give to those in our community who need it least. Scott Morrison will not come clean on how much he wants to give the highest earners in this country and he will not come clean on the cuts to hospitals and schools that would be necessary to pay for his tax cuts for the top end of town.

Scott Morrison needs to 'fess up immediately. How much is he giving to the highest income earners? What hospitals and schools will he cut further in order to pay for these tax cuts for multinationals and millionaires? Scott Morrison cannot go through this entire election campaign without admitting that his tax plan - his tax cuts - overwhelmingly favour people on the highest incomes. We are talking here about $77 billion in tax cuts going only to those on the highest income bracket in this country.

This election is a choice between Labor's investment in hospitals and schools and tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes, versus the Liberals who want to give that money that they cut from hospitals and schools and give it to the top end of town. Those are the choices that are crystallising in this election campaign. This election campaign will all about whether or not Australians want to see Scott Morrison give tax cuts where 54 per cent of the benefit goes to the highest 20 per cent of earners in our community. Labor will make different choices. Labor believes that tax cuts should go to people of modest means, people on low and middle incomes.

Scott Morrison wants to give the lion's share of his tax cut to the people who need them least and he wants to fund that by cutting the services that people in communities right around Australia rely on. He's had a shocker today. He will not admit that so much of his tax cuts go to the top end of town. He will not 'fess up to the cuts which are necessary to pay for them - $40 billion in spending cuts in the most recent Budget and the Budget update released yesterday, which are necessary to fund these tax cuts for the top end of town. Australians need and deserve answers from the Prime Minister. He hasn't given them to date and he certainly hasn't given them today. 

A couple of other issues which are around at the moment. There was a decision this week that the LNP in Queensland has been taking illegal donations from developers. We call on the LNP to return something like $4 million in illegal donations from developers which are inconsistent with the electoral laws. We call on them to return that money. Scott Morrison needs to confirm that none of that money has been spent on their advertising to date. The LNP in Queensland needs to return that money forthwith now that it has been determined that the donations that they have been receiving have been inconsistent with the electoral laws. 

One final issue. It's been revealed that George Christensen, or Jetset George as his colleagues call him - the guy who has spent 300 days over four years in the Philippines rather than in his electorate - has been caught out again. He's been caught out again by placing ads in his local paper - while he's in the Philippines -  that imply he's standing with the people of North Queensland as they recover from the devastating cyclones of recent times. This is an appalling breach of trust; whether it's an appalling breach of rules will be determined as well. Scott Morrison must act on George Christensen. He must say whether he has ongoing confidence in Jetset George, the Member for Manila. He needs to come clean on that. He needs to make George Christensen return the taxpayer money that he has wrongly spent on these trips overseas - 300 days in four years. Instead of standing up for the people of Dawson in this electorate, instead of preventing cuts to his local hospital, instead of actually supporting people who've gone through natural disasters, Jetset George is generally in the Philippines and he's been caught using taxpayer money to get him part of the way there. Over to you.

JOURNALIST: How do you feel about the fact that he's put himself up for review?

CHALMERS: It doesn't pass the pub test that Jetset George has spent taxpayer money on part of his trips overseas. It doesn't pass muster that he's used taxpayer money to advertise to give the impression that he's standing by people who've been impacted by cyclones in North Queensland while he's in the Philippines. And whether or not the process he's instituted, whatever the outcome of that, this is not good enough and Scott Morrison cannot skate through without actually concluding a view on this behaviour. Taxpayer money shouldn't be used to help subsidise George Christensen's frequent trips to the Philippines. It shouldn't be used to imply that he's standing with people impacted by cyclones. These are horrendous things that have been discovered about George Christensen and his use of taxpayer money. Scott Morrison needs to take action. It's a test of his leadership, it's a test of his character, it's a test of his values, and he's failed those tests so far just like he failed the test when Peter Dutton was hopping into people with a disability.

JOURNALIST: And when you say take action, what action should be taken?

CHALMERS: It's for Scott Morrison to show some leadership, to say that this behaviour is wrong. He needs to call on George Christensen to return the money that he has spent on these trips overseas, and potentially also return the money he spent on the advertising which wrongly implies he's standing with his constituents when he's overseas at the same time.

JOURNALIST: And the review into Mr Christensen's actions might not be completed until people go to the polls. How do you feel about that coming into the election?

CHALMERS: That wouldn't be good enough. There is a process that he has engaged in and I don't want to cast any aspersions on the people undertaking that review; it's a good crew who do that work. Our point is that Scott Morrison and George Christensen need to take action here. They need to return the taxpayer money that has been wrongly spent. Scott Morrison needs to show some leadership for once and say that this is wrong. This is appalling behaviour. It's not good enough. We will keep pointing it out but it's long past due for Scott Morrison to take action.

JOURNALIST: And will this affect the likelihood of Labor coming out on top in the seat of Dawson?

CHALMERS: We have been campaigning in Dawson for a long time now with our terrific candidate up there in Belinda. Murray Watt's been up there, our Senator. We are contesting a lot of seats right around Queensland. I would be shocked if the people of Dawson think that this behaviour that George Christensen's been up to is acceptable. We will certainly be pointing out to the electors of Dawson that Jetset George has been overseas when he should have been representing their interests. No wonder Scott Morrison was able to cut funding to the Mackay Base Hospital when Jetset George is always away and not standing up for the people he's supposed to be representing.

JOURNALIST: Another issue that has surfaced today is with regards to right wing influence and Fraser Anning. What's your response to the quite horrifying things that have come out today?

CHALMERS: They are truly horrifying things that we hear from time to time from the extreme right in this country. And I think my message to the Australian people is if you do value tolerance; if you do want your political leaders to bring this country together and not divide this country, then don't vote for these extreme parties of the right who go to Canberra and overwhelmingly vote with the Morrison Government on key issues in the Senate. A vote for the extreme right candidates in this country is a vote for the LNP. Because any extreme right candidate which is elected at this election will go down to Canberra and vote almost all the time, as One Nation does, with the Coalition Government to cut services, to give big tax breaks to the top end of town, to cut $40 billion out of the Budget to pay for those tax cuts. If people want a more tolerant society, they want a country which comes together and grows together and stands up for each other and speaks up for each other, then the only way to guarantee that is to vote Labor. Voting for these extreme right parties is in the end, effectively a vote for the LNP.

JOURNALIST: Do you believe there's a growing right wing sentiment among everyday voters?

CHALMERS: I don't. I think overwhelmingly the Australian people are fair-minded and tolerant people. They want their leaders to bring us together and not divide us and set each other against each other. I think that's overwhelmingly the view of the Australian population. From time to time, people are attracted to these extreme parties of the far right. My message to anyone who is thinking about voting for an extreme, divisive far-right party is that at the end of the day, they will go to Canberra, they will support the LNP, their cuts to hospitals and schools, their tax cuts for the top end of town funded by those cuts to hospitals and schools. Don't mess with the extreme right. Let's bring this country together in this election under Bill Shorten and Labor. Let's make sure that we can properly represent ordinary working people  The only way to do that is to vote Labor.

JOURNALIST: And what needs to happen, just finally, that seemingly outside influence of right wing groups into the mainstream of Parliament?

CHALMERS: We need to call it out where we see it. There are dark influences in parts of our political system, we need to call them out. We need to shine a light on their extreme and divisive views. That's certainly what the Labor Party does, and what we'll continue to do. Thanks very much.

ENDS