Politics podcast: Barnaby Joyce at his provocative best
Barnaby Joyce has confirmed he could cross the floor on the federal legislation associated with the National Energy Guarantee. “Of course I could,” he says.
Labor’s compromise will allow firms with turnovers under $50 million to keep the tax cut that will be in place at the election.
Some who flirt with the idea of a change believe Labor is on the cusp of regaining office but fear Shorten mightn’t get over the final hurdle.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Shorten might have done better to have said, “I stuffed up – that’s my recommendation, it’s not yet our decision”, and summoned a shadow cabinet meeting immediately to fix the matter.
Cormann: We.
need more time to make our argument to our colleagues on the
Senate crossbench.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
In announcing the retreat, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann reaffirmed that the government remained committed to the cuts, and cast the July 28 byelections as a referendum on them.
Turnbull said on Sunday that Australia’s 30% rate for larger companies was the second highest in the OECD.
Jeremy Ng/AAP
The inflammatory ad runs as the government is making a last ditch effort against the odds to gather Senate support for the company tax legislation, due to be voted on this week.
It would have been a huge setback if the government hadn’t secured its income tax package, which was the budget’s centrepiece.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
More crucial than the fate of the company tax cuts is the government’s long struggle to nail down its NEG, with the crunch coming when Josh Frydenberg meets his COAG counterparts on August 10.
Hanson is down from having four Senate numbers after the 2016 election to two.
Lukas Coch/AAP
One paradox of leaders of personality parties is that while they attract voters and so can get others elected, this can be their downfall, because they are by nature loners not team people.
Rebekha Sharkie is well known in the electorate.
Kelly Barnes/AAP
In an extraordinary Thursday night interview on Sky Hanson, who accused Burston of trying to defect to the Shooters party, said it was not the first time he had stabbed her in the back.
Cormann committed the government to take the plan to the Super Saturday July 28 byelections if it was defeated in parliament.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
As much as the Senate is unpredictable, this does look like the end of the government’s chances of getting its company tax package through parliament before the election.
There still isn’t clear research showing company tax cuts will increase employment or wages.
Shutterstock
Comparing companies that receive a tax cut with those that don’t isn’t the right methodology to conclude that tax cuts create more employment or higher wages.
Timing tricks help politicians avoid dealing with the substance of their policies. That isn’t going to change any time soon.
Cindy Zhi
Even though this year’s budget is pretty good politics and reasonable economics, on almost every front, it is a missed opportunity to be bold.
Jobs and growth underpinned by a healthy level of investment are essential aspects of a modern society, but cutting the company tax rate is not the way to go.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Tim Storer has one hell of a decision to make shortly after the May budget, when the government plans to bring back its legislation to give tax cuts to big business.