Move to Reconvene FPA Estimates over Government's Advertising Scandal
Sunday, 30 May 2010 12:45
The opposition will move for a special Senate inquiry into Labor’s mining tax advertising scandal after Labor deliberately hid the exemption from Senate Estimates last week.
Senator Ludwig sat through his Estimates this week without showing any indication of this campaign being urgent knowing full well the decision had already been made.
Labor is breaking its own guidelines in order to run a partisan political campaign.
Senator Ludwig’s scandalous announcement, allegedly based on the Treasurer’s advice, is in direct contrast with Dr Henry’s advice to Senate Estimates1, and also in contrast with the Prime Minister’s own answers in Question Time last Thursday2.
The evidence of both Mr Rudd and Dr Henry completely contradicts the alleged advice of the Treasurer, referred to in Senator Ludwig’s statement.
This has all the stench of a desperate government facilitating false excuses to run a political campaign at taxpayers’ expense.
In addition, there are clear inconsistencies about when the Government began planning for these advertisements, and the Government’s claim that they are in response to ads from the mining industry.
Accordingly the coalition will move for a Senate Inquiry into the issue.
(1) Mr Henry – Senate Estimates – 27 May 2010 - I do not wish to comment on what I think might or might not happen to the share prices of any company. I do not think that would be responsible of me. I would simply observe that a lot of people have been prepared to say things about what will and will not happen to share prices as a consequence of the tax. There is a lot of share price volatility out there. People who really believe that that share price volatility is due to the tax stand to lose some money, I would suggest.
(2) Mr Rudd – House of Representatives – Question Time – 27 May 2010 - Let us go to the facts of this matter. Share prices around the world have fallen because of the crisis in Greece and the honourable Leader of the Opposition would know that. Here are some discomforting facts for him. First of all, if we look at the stock market we see that Australian shares have fallen by less than in other countries over the past month.
