Interview on 2GB Nights with Steve Price

Subjects: Federal Election, Superannuation, Bill Shorten, Electric Vehicles  

EO&E…………………………………………………………

STEVE PRICE:

The ATO has said today look were not sure we’ll be able to do this, it is going to depend on how quickly the AEC can count the votes, how close the election result might be and exactly when Parliament is resumed because we need them time to be passed in law before we can deliver them, but is that a concern given you’ve promised you will be able to deliver them on July 1?

SIMON BIRMINGHAM:

We’re confident we can get them through whatever legal processes are required and make sure that these tax cuts are delivered, we’re a Government who has done as we promised in recent years, we said we would grow the economy we’ve done that, we said we’d create more than 1 million jobs we created 1.3 million jobs, we said we repair the budget in the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook released today, shows that we have done that, that it is headed back into surplus now, and we said that we’d secure the borders and we’ve done that as well, so we’ve done all the things we said we’d do in this case, we’re now looking to the future, we’ve promised tax reform that eliminates the scourge of bracket creep so many hardworking Australians and we’re confident that we can get that in place as we promised, and if we’re re-elected we will move as swiftly as we can to implement our entire tax reform package and to make sure those benefits flow through to Australian families.

PRICE:

Just remind me Labor’s supported the tax cuts for middle and lower income earners, you’ve attacked tax cuts off in the future for higher income earners, are you still insisting that whole tax package be passed as one now the higher tax cut has been carved off?

BIRMINGHAM:

Well last year’s tax reform elements that we proposed, have already been legislated, so in that sense we already have a number of changes that are legislated, that currently stand as law that we don’t have to do a single thing to change,  that includes the abolition of the 37c in the dollar tax bracket, so eliminating bracket creep for middle income earners in Australia, what we announced this year, because of the improved economy and budget situation is the ability to go further, to provide an additional boost to the low and middle income tax offset which will provide an additional $1,000 or thereabouts for many low and middle income earning Australians immediately essentially, at the change in the financial year, as well as to reduce the 32.5c in the dollar tax bracket over time down to 30c in the dollar, so those changes will have to pass through the Parliament, but we are quite confident that we have the time and the legal ability to be able to put all of that second stage in a sense of legislative package that wasn’t passed as a result of last year’s budget to a parliament after the election, get it in place, deliver Australians those tax cuts which stand in very, very stark contrast to the huge additional tax burden that Australians will face under Bill Shorten and the Labor Party if they are elected.

PRICE:

Can you deliver them as an administrative stroke of the pen as opposed to law and then get the law passed once Parliament gets back if the Parliament doesn’t get back in time to do this?

BIRMINGHAM:

Well elements of them definitely require legislative change, and so our preference would be to see the entire package legislated as quickly as it possibly can be, we’ll deal with the, with what is required to make sure that it happens but people can take it as a solemn promise that will absolutely be delivered and that our government’s tax cuts and tax reforms will be presented to the Parliament and we will do everything we possibly can to pass them, we managed to pass the tax reforms from last year and equally they should take it as a solemn promise from the Labor Party that if Bill Shorten is elected he won’t proceed with many of the income tax cuts, that wage earners earning even just $45,000 a year will be paying a higher rate of income tax in the future under a Labor government than they would under a Liberal-National government, as well as retirees as well as those who own homes that have investment properties as part of their portfolio as well as many businesses across Australia, as well as paying more on electricity bills, on cars, it’s a pretty stark choice at this election between an economic management approach that’s based on lower taxes and a stronger economy and jobs growth, or one that is based on much, much higher tax revenue collected by a Labor government who wants to spend billions of dollars more by governments in the future.

PRICE:

Let’s get on to GetUp! their active in Kooyong in particular at the moment, although they are active in other seats including of course Warringah in Sydney , GetUp! in Kooyong are spreading news that Josh Frydenberg the Treasurer was active in the coop to cut down Malcolm Turnbull, that’s fake news isn’t it?

BIRMINGHAM:

Completely and look, Josh Frydenberg has been loyal to every leader that he has served, and that’s part of Josh’s record. Josh is obviously Treasurer today who has handed down the first surplus budget since the Howard years, he’s the person who’s brought about significant tax reform, he’s outlined our plan for growing 1.25 million additional jobs in the future, and the people of Kooyong or any other electorate around the country shouldn’t be listening to the lies that GetUp! peddle, they shouldn’t be buying the type of crap that we get from GetUp! who are just a front organisation for Labor and the Greens, you’ve got a cosy little stitch up there between the Labor Party and the Greens, GetUp! and the Australia Institute, sort of no doubt during this election campaign, your listeners will hear at times about supposed Australia Institute modelling, they should know that they are just the research arm of GetUp!, which is the political front for Labor and the Greens and they should discount all of that, as indeed the type of spin that you would expect from those who want to apply $387 billion more in higher taxes.

PRICE:

Mr Shorten said he misunderstood that question about super yesterday he answered that there would be no changes under Labor to super, do you believe him?

BIRMINGHAM:

No, it was a serious super blooper from Bill Shorten, he said and let’s quote him precisely, we have no plans to increase taxes on superannuation, now you couldn’t be clearer in that statement for him, there’s no misinterpreting what he was saying

PRICE:

He didn’t put the word new in there did he?

BIRMINGHAM:

He didn’t put the word new in there and indeed what he has and had already released out there was a $34 billion plan for higher taxes on superannuation, now what? Are we supposed to believe that Bill Shorten has so many additional new taxes that he can’t remember them all? Is that what he’s saying? That somehow this this one of his many different new taxes slipped his mind, I mean he does have $387 billion worth but I find it hard to believe that $34 billion worth of new taxes on superannuation, particularly targeting tradies and self-employed, people who were trying to start a small business to have a go themselves, why on earth you would go out and target those individuals is beyond me, but that’s what his proposed superannuation tax changes do.

PRICE:

He also said this week in 10 years’ time Toyota would only be selling electric vehicles in Australia, I contacted Toyota about an hour after he said that and their statement back to me was at this stage we have no intention of selling a plug in electric car to Australia, does he not understand the difference behind Hybrid and electric?

BIRMINGHAM:

Well possibly not, look I don’t know what Bill Shortens thinking when it comes to his electric vehicle policy, we as a government back the growth in electric vehicles, there are more electric vehicles on our roads today than there used to be, there’ll be more in the future, well not that many, but there will be more in the future, we don’t deny that, and Australians should be free to make a choice as that market evolves over time, and we’ll support that, and we support indeed roll out of certain infrastructure for charging facilities and so on as well, for people to be able to charge those vehicles. What we don’t support is the type of government heavy-handed regulation that Bill Shorten has proposed which would ultimately drive up the average cost of a new car according to the motor industry by around $5,000, I mean hands up out there amongst your listeners, who wants to pay $5,000 bucks more for a new car? If you want to and you want to get an electric vehicle, good luck to you, off you go, go your hardest, you should be free to do that but you shouldn’t be forced to be paying higher levels for new cars just because of heavy-handed government regulation.

PRICE:

Looking forward to having Clive Palmer in the Senate?

BIRMINGHAM:

Look we’ll see, we’ll see, you know, money can’t buy you everything and although Clive is spending up big in this election campaign, the advertising industry must be very happy to have him out there and you know we’re all happy to see his money sloshing around the economy, but it will be for the voters of Queensland to determine whether he actually gets there.

PRICE:

You don’t think you can buy yourself a spot in the Senate? Isn’t that what he has been doing spending all this money to get his profile up? He’s apparently going to announce tomorrow that he is stand for a Senate seat and not in the lower house?

BIRMINGHAM:

Well let’s leave that to the voters to cast their judgment, my belief is that every Australian should think long and hard about the choice at this election not play games with minor parties where you don’t know where the preferences might go, or which policies they will or won’t support after the election, but think about the crystal clear choice and it’s a choice between a lower taxing high growth and job growing Liberal and National Party agenda, or Bill Shorten and his $387 billion of higher taxes, and if you’re a retiree if you’re somebody who’s worried about electricity bills, if you think in the next 10 years you need to buy a new car, well you should think twice about Bill Shorten, and if you’re thinking twice about Bill Shorten don’t mess with the minor parties ,come straight to the Liberal National Parties.

PRICE:

Simon Birmingham, Senator thank you very much talk to you soon.

BIRMINGHAM:

Thank you Steve.