SloMo just keeps talking on GST distribution

CHRIS BOWEN, SHADOW TREASURER: After four years in Government, the Liberal Party talkfest about GST redistribution continues today.

 

Now it's incumbent on Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull today to rule out making any state worse off when it comes to GST distribution. The Labor Party, Bill Shorten and I announced a plan to deal with Western Australia’s very legitimate concerns about the GST weeks ago in Perth and that plan sees Western Australia better off and no other state worse off.

 

In contrast, under the Governments rolling talkfest, we see a draft report today which I note was selectively released by the Government to one newspaper which is hardly a way to engender a sensible and proper discussion about reform, bringing the states and stakeholders with you, but we see that report which very clearly would see many states worse off.

 

Now this takes leadership. Bill Shorten has shown that leadership by saying that the Federal Government will step in and should step in under his leadership to fix WA’s GST problem. But we don't believe the people of Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland or any other state, should pay the price for that.

 

We believe that working cooperatively with all states and territories this issue can be fixed with Labor’s plan. And I note that many states and territories welcome Labor’s plan, not just the Western Australian Government but the other states and territories as well.

 

So, what we need to do today is for Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull to rule out making any state or territory worse off and to adopt Labor’s plan to fix WA’s legitimate concerns about GST distribution without worsening the situation for other states and territories.

 

Thanks very much.