28 August 2024
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (23:46): I rise to speak very briefly in support of this motion on payroll tax by the Hon. Connie Bonaros and indicate that the Greens will be supporting the motion. Earlier this year, the Greens listened to the calls of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners when they argued for an end to payroll tax for GPs, and we supported the honourable Connie Bonaros's motion that passed this place in April in response to that issue. Indeed, I also put forward a motion on that important issue. Great minds often think alike on the crossbench, it seems, when it comes to these issues.
The motion notes that the business community is calling for payroll tax reform. It is fair to say that the Greens have a nuanced view on this issue. I do not necessarily support the calls of the business community in terms of the need to totally overhaul payroll tax. Indeed, it is my view that big corporations should pay more payroll tax. We have advocated for that previously, and I wrote to the Treasurer in the lead-up to the state budget advancing that position. But we certainly do not want to see payroll tax making it more difficult for small and emerging businesses to get off the ground in our state.
I should point out that it is the big corporations that are making millions or potentially billions of dollars in profit that we should be targeting here. They should not be given relief in their responsibility to provide for the greater good of the state. The money that comes from taxing big business can provide the funding we require for public services and social programs such as better health care; public schooling; trains, buses and even regional rail; and infrastructure that supports liveable cities and towns.
It is also the view of the Greens that we need to look at reform in terms of ensuring that gig economy businesses are subject to payroll tax. That was a recommendation out of the parliamentary inquiry into the gig economy, and I look forward to the government responding to that. This motion is a call to the Malinauskas government to support small businesses in remaining viable and maintaining their objectives and, of course, also looking at this issue in respect of GPs. We therefore support it on that basis.
In the interests of time, I might take this opportunity to indicate that the Greens will not be supporting the backslapping amendments of the Liberals, giving themselves a pat on the back for their time in government. We will not be a party to that, but I am happy to support the Hon. Connie Bonaros's motion.