SLOMO THE CHAMALEON CHANGES POSITION, AGAIN, ON GST DISTRIBUTION BUT STILL PLAYS POLITICAL GAMES
01 October 2018
Scott Morrison has spent months arguing that legislating a GST floor was unnecessary, in July he said there was no need to legislate the GST deal, but today apparently there is a need.
This is a big back down for Scott Morrison but a big win for Western Australia and the nation.
However, Labor is deeply concerned that the Governments proposed legislation fails to explicitly guarantee that no state will worse off. As we review the legislation, we will be seeking answers about why this guarantee has been excluded.
Bill Shorten has consistently argued for the deal to be legislated and Federal Labor has been leading on the GST distribution debate for years.
Unfortunately, Scott Morrison today couldnt resist playing politics, declaring hed sent draft legislation to the Leader of the Opposition despite having not done so at the time.
Labor first put forward the Fair Share for WA Fund which made the Liberal Party take the WA concerns about the unfair GST share they were receiving seriously.
Labor has forced the Liberal Party to put more money on the table to establish a floor of 75c on the dollar.
There should be a proper framework put in place for any changes to the GST distribution and for future Commonwealth top-up payments, because the Australian people simply dont trust the Liberal Party and its record of cuts to schools, hospitals and in unilaterally ripping up intergovernmental agreements.
