Transcripts

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW SYDNEY2.30PM THURSDAY 4 MARCH 2010

4th March 2010

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW

SYDNEY

2.30PM THURSDAY 4 MARCH 2010

Subject: New taxes to pay for Rudd’s costly health plan, Rudd sidelining the Henry Review

E&OE………………………………………………………………………………………

JOE HOCKEY:

Two significant events occurred today. The first is that Nicola Roxon, the Federal Health Minister, flagged that there will be new taxes to pay for Kevin Rudd’s health plan. The second is that Kevin Rudd saying he is too busy to release a long-awaited and much-needed review of the taxation system.

What is clear is that this government has a secret agenda on tax.  It means higher taxes and more taxes to pay for Kevin Rudd’s reckless spending program.

Kevin Rudd’s keen to get the good news out, but he won’t deliver the costs. Yesterday he was talking all about his big new plan for health, but he refused to say how he would pay for it.

Today Nicola Roxon has “belled the cat” by revealing that the Rudd government has a secret agenda to increase taxes.  On the same day, Kevin Rudd says he is too busy to release the comprehensive review of taxation reform.

If the Prime Minister can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, then obviously he is out of his depth and his government is out of its depth.

The fact that they cannot release a long-awaited report - which is sitting on his desk - because the Prime Minister says he is too “busy” says everything about the priorities of the Rudd government.

Kevin Rudd is focused on winning the next election, he is not focused on good policy.  He is not focused on real reform that delivers real outcomes.

JOURNALIST:

If the government tries to increase GST, what’s the Opposition position?

JOE HOCKEY:

We want to see the government spend wisely and carefully the money it already has. The fundamental problem here is that the government has wasted money on pink batts, it has wasted money handing out cheques for $900 and now it is going to slug the Australian people with a new tax for health.

Obviously there are things in the Henry Review that he doesn’t want to share with the Australian people. This is the government writ large. They are focused on spin and they are not actually interested in providing the detailed information that allows people to properly consider what they want to do and how they’re going to do it.

I was speaking to a number of health professionals today who said they just did not understand the true implications of what Kevin Rudd announced yesterday.  It is a complex and complicated proposal that seems to add a lot of bureaucracy but doesn’t explain how there are better outcomes for patients.

Kevin Rudd is on a spin cycle and the impact for people is higher taxes and more taxes.

They’re going to deliver higher taxes for their healthcare program and more taxes in the Henry Review that Kevin Rudd says he is too busy to release.

JOURNALIST:

Does the Opposition have any figures on how much money is going to be needed [inaudible]?

JOE HOCKEY:

Well the government has had a comprehensive review in the form of the Bennett Review. Quite clearly they haven’t released all the information about what they’re proposing.

This is a ridiculous way to put together public policy in Australia. The Prime Minister released a 77-page document.  That document has no details about how the proposal is going to be funded into the future and then he says, there will be more proposals going forward and we’ll tell you about them at a later date.

This is a chaotic government.  It is a government that is focused on the spin cycle, rather than the policy cycle.

I think Australians can feel rightly cheated when the Prime Minister says that he is too busy to outline what his real agenda is on taxation.

Everyone who pays tax, here it comes – Kevin Rudd with a baseball bat straight to your bank account.

JOE HOCKEY:

There was some good news on the economy today with the trade deficit narrowing?

JOE HOCKEY:

Yes, that’s true. There was further good news today on the economy and further evidence that the economy is travelling at or around trend growth.

I would say to the Rudd government, you are in a bind.  You are now locked in - even by the Treasurer’s own admission - to no more than a two percent increase in real terms in government expenditure in the Budget coming up in May and yet as each day passes, the Prime Minister has new, unfunded proposals on health.  I’m sure he’s got a few more to roll out on education. Needless to say, he’ll have a few that may come out of Henry which he is refusing to release at this stage.

No wonder the government wants to release Henry on the eve on an election when no one will have the opportunity to give it the rigorous assessment that would probably reveal that they want to increase taxes and introduce new taxes.

Thanks

 [ends]