THE HON CHRIS BOWEN MP SHADOW TREASURER MEMBER FOR MCMAHON

E&OE TRANSCRIPT DOORSTOP INTERVIEW FAIRFIELD WEST SUNDAY, 27 APRIL 2014 SUBJECT/S: Tony Abbotts deceit tax; $6 Sick Tax, Tony Abbotts unaffo dab!e $"#" bi!!ion $$% sc&e'e, (a y )u'b!e inte *ie+, Count y %ib ,$s defect to $a!'e United $a ty# CHRIS BOWEN, SHADOW TREASURER: (Recording starts)This will be Tony Abbotts deceit tax. Now Tony Abbott went to the last election with clear commitments to the Australian people which he is breaching and this will be the biggest breach of all. e see the !" #ic$ Tax to go to the doctor% again% another new tax% and again% figures out today confirming what the &abor 'arty has said about this. That it will hit low and middle income earners most of all. (oe )oc$ey getting his facts wrong when it comes to his own electorate *ust shows how out of touch this go+ernment is% when it comes to the changes to the ,udget that they will be ma$ing% as$ing the Australian people to pay for their doubling of the deficit% and the !"- billion they+e added to the deficits. )appy to ta$e some .uestions. JOURNALIST: /r ,owen your go+ernment imposed le+ies for emergencies li$e the 0ueensland floods% why not a budget emergency1 BOWEN: ell than$ you for raising the 0ueensland flood. )ere you ha+e an example of where billions of dollars were re.uired and the go+ernment too$ a decision% with the then opposition opposing that all the way. 2 would in+ite you to loo$ at /r Abbotts comments when the flood le+y was implemented% calling it 3dumb

policy saying that the go+ernment 3goes straight to tax increases. ell% the thing is% when you ha+e a genuine emergency li$e the ,risbane floods% go+ernments ma$e difficult decisions% but when you ha+e a conflated budget emergency% which (oe )oc$ey has attempted to create by adding !"- billion to the budget deficit% doubling the budget deficits% then that is not an excuse for a new tax. JOURNALIST: ,ut would a le+y built onto existing tax scales constitute a new tax1 BOWEN: ell of course% if you are introducing a new tax onto Australian families then its a breach of Tony Abbotts promise of no new taxes. 2f Tony Abbott wants to allege that a le+y or a tax on Australian families is not a new tax% 2 would li$e to see him do that. JOURNALIST: The deficit le+y% if we can call it that BOWEN: 4r a deceit le+y% ta$e your pic$. JOURNALIST: 5inaudible6 could be targeted at high income earners. Arent they the best to pay for this1 BOWEN: This is a 7o+ernment that is effecting low and middle income earners all of the way. 8ou see the !" tax on going to the doctor which will hit people here in estern #ydney and in suburbs right across Australia. 8ou ha+e seen the 7o+ernment ta$e away% or attempt to ta$e away% through legislation in the parliament% low and middle income earners superannuation tax brea$s at the same time as increasing the tax brea$s for high income earners. And (oe )oc$ey and Tony Abbott are gi+ing !9:%;;; to millionaires to ha+e babies. 2 mean this is a go+ernment that has all of the wrong priorities% twisted priorities. e will see this deceit le+y and its detail% but clearly they are attempting to effect ordinary Australian families < low and middle income earners < to pay for their budget deceit. JOURNALIST: e+e seen reports of changes to family tax payments. mean in real terms1 hat will this

BOWEN: ell the reports in regard to family tax payments are also concerning. Now we will need to see the detail% as the Australian people will need to see the detail% but this again would constitute a clear breach by Tony Abbott. e+e got Australian families doing it tough around the nation% seeing this constant speculation from the Treasurer in particular. This lecturing from the Treasurer about the need to tighten belts= hes lecturing to Australian families. No doubt that would be causing concern to Australian families right across the board. JOURNALIST: ouldnt Australia reap a big benefit from this in terms of a reduction in the interest bill% if there was a short and determined effort to bring down the deficit1 BOWEN: ell we arent seeing any short and determined effort to bring down the deficit. hat we are seeing is an effort to double the deficit. Thats what (oe )oc$ey has done since becoming Treasurer. >oubling the deficit by adding o+er !"- billion

in new go+ernment spending and changes to go+ernment assumptions% not e+en the Treasurys or >epartment of ?inances assumptions= his personal forecasts as the Treasurer of Australia% so hes not trying to reduce the deficit% hes doubled the deficit. JOURNALIST: 8es% but there would be an interest benefit if there was a le+y introduced to pay down the deficit. BOWEN: 4f course if you ha+e less debt you pay less interest% but that doesnt *ustify a tax on Australian families who would pay the cost for this breach of promise by Tony Abbott. JOURNALIST: )a+e you as$ed for or will you get a loc$<up reading of the @ommission of Audit report before it is released at Apm on Thursday1 BOWEN: 8es% we ha+e as$ed for that and my understanding is that the 7o+ernment has agreed to that in accordance with normal standards and procedures% that loc$<up would be pro+ided to the 4pposition as it is to the media. e ha+e re.uested that and the 7o+ernment has agreed. JOURNALIST: &awyer 7ary Rumble(2naudible)has come out this morning saying that not enough has been done to punish the perpetrators and to loo$ after the +ictims% and has called for a Royal @ommission. hat is your reaction to that% do you thin$ the 7o+ernment should call a Royal @ommission1 BOWEN: The pre+ious go+ernment% of course% started the process of these +ery important and serious in.uiries into >efence ?orce handling of +ery serious allegations% and in some cases% more than allegations. 4f course% they should be allowed to run their course. Now 2m not going to comment on /r Rumbles re.uest in detail% 2 will lea+e #tephen @onroy and others to that% other than to say% a +ery serious process was begun by the pre+ious go+ernment% and 2 would expect the current go+ernment to continue that process. JOURNALIST: (2naudible) BOWEN: ell the seriousness of this problem was why the former go+ernment instituted these in.uiries. e need to see those in.uiries report and report in an open and transparent way% as would be appropriate% in circumstances which are +ery sensiti+e for indi+iduals% +ictims in particular. 2 would say% 2 *ust saw the 'rime /inister say% that the +ast ma*ority of indi+iduals in the >efence ?orce are good and upstanding people% and hes right about that. 4f course these allegations needed to be treated seriously% as they were under the former go+ernment% and 2 would expect them to be by this 7o+ernment. JOURNALIST: /r ,owen% what do you ma$e of the three former @ountry &iberal /'s in the Northern Territory mo+ing to *oin the 'almer Bnited 'arty1 BOWEN: ell 2+e seen that report and of course one of those /'s has *oined the &abor 'arty% then the @ountry &iberal 'arty% and now apparently the 'almer Bnited

'arty. #o% if this report is right% she is doing a ,illy )ughes and mo+ing around the political spectrum. hats important is that the people of the Northern Territory get good and stable go+ernment and the person who can deli+er that is >elia &awrie and the &abor 'arty. 2t is .uite clear that the @hief /inister of the Northern Territory has lost control of his 7o+ernment. >elia &awrie is running a united team in the NT and she would ma$e a +ery good @hief /inister when she has the opportunity to do so. 4$ay% than$ you. E-.S