GILBERT: Minister, thanks for your time.
WONG: Good to be with you.
GILBERT: Will the Government compensate the miners by reducing the Minerals Resource Rent Tax in line with the amount Queensland is set to raise through its increased coal mine royalties?
WONG: Lets first talk about what Queensland has done. This is I think a policy with Peter Costellos smirk written all over it. This is clearly designed to distract attention from the extraordinary cuts the extraordinary cuts, Kieran that weve seen from the Newman Government.
Premier Newman is the bloke who rocked up and said: The public service has nothing to fear from me. Well, there are 14,000 families who know hes lied about that. And what were seeing in Queensland, with the massive cuts to the public service, and the cuts to health, as well as education and a range of other programs, really shows us the sorts of priorities a Coalition Government has.
GILBERT: What about for the coal miners? BHP Billiton obviously expressed concerns, Xstrata Will you allay those concerns, and reduce your impost on them?
WONG: Its a state tax, remember this, and
GILBERT: But you also said you would reduce the MRRT commensurately.
WONG: And weve made our position on that clear. But I want to say something about royalties, and the criticisms that BHP and others make. The Queensland Minerals Council has said this will cost jobs. So where is Tony Abbotts condemnation? This is a bloke whos been running around the country, trumping up a scare campaign around the mining tax and the carbon tax, saying these will cause job losses. Hes got job losses that are being predicted by the industry themselves, and we have absolute silence radio silence from Tony Abbott on these issues.
GILBERT: So. can you just clarify, you will reduce the MRRT your Minerals Tax in line with that $1.6 billion?
WONG: Weve made clear in the design of the Minerals Tax that we do recognise state royalties. But I would make this point royalties are an inefficient tax.
Royalties are an inefficient tax, which is why the Henry Review made clear that you shouldnt be putting them in place because they punish profitable mines and non-profitable mines to the same extent.
GILBERT: Thats a big hit to your budget, isnt it? $1.6 billion, that wipes out the surplus.
WONG: We have been very clear were committed to a surplus, and obviously well update our estimates in the usual way through the Mid-Year Review.
GILBERT: So, the states get away with gouging your budget then?
WONG: As the Treasurer has made clear and this is on the public record the Treasurer has asked the GST Review to consider these issues. So Im not going to pre-empt their consideration of that.
But I think the bigger issue here is that this is a distraction by the Queensland Government from the cuts theyve put in place. And the second point Id make is, where is the Coalition?
These are the people who say that they care about mining jobs. They opposed the mining tax that the Government put in place. They opposed the carbon price, saying that these are going to cost coal miner jobs. Weve got the Queensland Minerals Council, weve got BHP and a range of other mining companies saying this will cost jobs: radio silence from the Coalition.
GILBERT: Kevin Rudd there wasnt silence from him last night, He gave his first long-form interview since February and his failed leadership tilt. Is it helpful, or a hindrance, to Labor to have him back in the public eye?
WONG: Kevins a Labor Member of Parliament and he should be doing what we all should be doing, which is out there advocating for Labor policy and for the Labor Government. And, I agree with him, I think hes absolutely right to be lending his voice to the criticism of the Coalition. And hes a Queenslander, and Im sure like all Queenslanders hes shocked at what Premier Newman has done.
GILBERT: Why did it take him four questions though, to say that Prime Minister Gillard to say her name? To say that she can beat Tony Abbott? It took him four questions. Its not that hard, is it?
WONG: I didnt watch the interview, but I understand he made his position very clear. And I think people watch every move a little too much and tend to dramatise things. Kevin Rudd made is position very clear last night.
GILBERT: So, its entirely appropriate in your view?
WONG: He made his position very clear and I welcome his contribution to the Labor campaign to win the next election.
GILBERT: Lets look at something else that Labors been pursuing this week an alleged incident from Tony Abbotts uni days. Another Labor figure, or former Labor candidate, today is making claims. Isnt it just petty politics about ancient history that Labors trying to hammer here?
WONG: A couple of things. The first is, Tony Abbott is the person whos been telling Australians and journalists for months that leadership is also about character, and that issues about your past are relevant to character. Thats the basis on which hes justified a whole range of issues hes said the Prime Minister should respond to. Well, I think he should be held to his test. If he says leadership is about character, there have been some allegations made. Theres, as I understand it, some reports in the paper from a barrister today which appear to contradict Tony Abbotts position
GILBERT: From uni though?
WONG: Im just saying I think Tony Abbott should be held to the same level of scrutiny that he says others should be held to. If he wants to hold a press conference like the Prime Minister did, and answer all questions all of your questions until you have no more, as she did on a range of other allegations, then thats the sort of standard that he expects
GILBERT: Isnt it a bit different though? Isnt it a bit different in that its one alleged incident at a university, as opposed to the allegations that were made, that the Prime Minister repudiated, involving involvement as a solicitor?
WONG: ... Youre suggesting that allegations of physical intimidation are somehow lesser?
GILBERT: Im not suggesting theyre lesser, but
WONG: I just I dont accept that. I think if you say character is important and therefore that the past is relevant which is Tony Abbotts own test then maybe he should hold himself to his test.
GILBERT: Finance Minister, Penny Wong. Thanks very much for your time, appreciate it.
WONG: Good to speak with you.
ENDS