Bill - State Taxation Bill: Council Amendments

BILL

‘STATE TAXATION BILL: COUNCIL AMENDMENTS’.

Thursday, 30 November 2023.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (17:08):

I rise to speak on the State Taxation Acts and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2023 amendments immediately.

These Amendments and this Bill are based on a con, because what the government is saying is ‘We have a plan to increase housing and we will increase housing by 80,000 homes each and every year’.

From the first quarter of reporting post that promise the Government will fail to meet their promise, and they will fail to meet their promise every quarter of the first year and every quarter for the 10 years after that. They will never meet that promise. It is a con. Forty times they will fail to meet that promise.

What the Government has said to people who are concerned about housing, to all Victorians who are concerned about housing, is if you let us tax you more, we will build more homes. That is the Government’s plan. That is what they are saying to the community: just let us tax you more and we will build more homes. It is a con, and it will fail at each and every hurdle because we have not reached that level of development – we have never reached it – and to see this Government prey upon Victorians who are concerned about housing and the shortage of housing in the most craven way is outrageous.

We know that part of the money raised is just going to be going to fund the Minister for European travel’s next trip – the Treasurer.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Deputy Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business knows that the debate is not an opportunity to impugn Members on this side of the House, and he should refer to Members by their correct titles. I ask you to bring him back to speaking directly on the amendments.

James NEWBURY: On the point of order, Deputy Speaker, I do apologise – the Treasurer for European junkets.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Brighton! I can rule on the point of order, Leader of the House. The member for Brighton is well aware about using correct titles and is pushing his luck.

James NEWBURY: The concerns in relation to these Amendments are not just concerns that have been raised by the Coalition. The concerns around what is being proposed in these amendments have been raised by industry and by experts in industry. To refer to the property council’s most recent analysis of the amendments, they said:

… we do not consider the passage of this Bill to be a positive development for the property industry in Victoria …

Members interjecting.

James NEWBURY: I will not take up the impugning interjections from the government. Further:

Victoria already has the heaviest property tax burden of any state in the nation. The reality is that this is creating an economic environment where Victorian businesses are struggling to attract capital investment to our state – jeopardising the capacity for our industry to build more homes.

I repeat: ‘jeopardising the capacity for our industry to build more homes’.

The experts are saying exactly the point that I raised earlier. We know that the Government’s commitment to build 80,000 more homes each year over the next 10 years will fail. We also know the Government has been exposed as raising taxes purely as a revenue-raising measure but using the property and housing crisis as an excuse to introduce those taxes.

On the principle of the matter, as a Liberal these taxes go against the very property rights that we should all fundamentally believe in. I know that previous Labor speakers have spoken with glee at introducing vacant property taxes, because the Labor Party does not fundamentally believe that you have the right to your own property. They want the government dipping into your pocket. That is a fundamental difference of principle between our parties. These new taxes go to a fundamental principle and to differences in our philosophical positions. These Amendments are a con. They will not deliver the outcome of the promised housing increase. In fact, at every step the Government will fail – every quarter, every measurement – to reach their housing target.

But the second point – and the final point that I will make on these Amendments – is what it should show Victorians: that Labor, like Julia Gillard, were willing to sell their soul to the Greens.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, on relevance, Deputy Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business is using this debate to insult a former Prime Minister, and I ask that you bring him back to speaking directly to the Amendments in the bill.

James NEWBURY: On the point of order, Deputy Speaker, these Amendments have passed due to an agreement between the Government and the Greens. It is entirely relevant to note –

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I can rule on the point of order. It is a matter for debate.

James NEWBURY: Hear, hear, Deputy Speaker. Today is the day that all Victorians should mark as the day they know that the Labor Party, like Julia Gillard, has sold their soul to the Greens. It is outrageous. It is absolutely outrageous. We know it. All Victorians have now seen it.

What is the difference between this Government and the former Gillard Government? I remember watching the former Prime Minister clapping, shaking hands with Bob Brown as she did a dirty deal with the Greens, and that is what we are seeing today in this Chamber – a deal between the Greens and Labor. What it means for all Victorians is that the Government, when it comes to future pieces of legislation – they will do deals on future pieces of legislation. The taxes that are punitive, that will hurt all Victorians will always be worse now that this deal has been done between Labor and the Greens – on every policy from now on.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Kew can leave the chamber for 10 minutes.

Member for Kew withdrew from Chamber.

Brad Battin interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: And the member for Berwick can leave –

Brad Battin interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Member for Berwick can leave for an hour. I will be referring that to the Speaker.

Member for Berwick withdrew from chamber.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I am still on my feet, for God’s sake! Settle down.

James NEWBURY: People in this Chamber should reflect when they introduce policy under the guise of doing something to help people who genuinely need it and promise to do things that they will never once achieve – in fact the person who promised it disappeared immediately after making the promise, and it is a craven, craven promise that is going to hurt people. These taxes are going to hurt people, but every Victorian should know that all future policies will be worse because the government will continue to do deals after selling their soul to the Greens in a way that no Victorian has seen since Julia Gillard.