One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has withdrawn her support for Malcolm Turnbull’s company tax package.
The move could spell the end of the government’s tax cut plan, and was accompanied by a long list of demands by Ms Hanson.
Ms Hanson, whose party controls three seats in the Senate, slammed the Federal Budget, saying it was built on ‘eggshells’ and could ‘crash’ any time.
Banks should pay for the royal commission rather than the taxpayer, and the government should implement Donald Trump-style corporate tax cuts, she said.
Ms Hanson (pictured), whose party controls three seats in the Senate, slammed the Federal Budget, saying it was built on ‘eggshells’ and could ‘crash’ any time
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has withdrawn her support for Malcolm Turnbull’s (pictured) company tax package
Concerns corporate tax cuts would not create stimulate new jobs were behind Ms Hanson’s decision to reverse her March support for the plan, she told The Australian.
‘This government is talking about it six or eight years down the track. Well, that’s not good enough,’ said Ms Hanson.
‘The people in general don’t want it. It has not been well received. The government has not been able to sell the package to the people and they haven’t cut through.’
Ms Hanson raised Donald Trump’s ability to quickly implement a corporate tax cut, questioning why the government needs to take until 2026-27.
Banks should pay for the royal commission rather than the taxpayer, and the government should implement Donald Trump-style corporate tax cuts, said Ms Hanson
In order for the government to regain Ms Hanson’s support they need to meet a list of demands regarding immigration, pensioners and coal power.
Ms Hanson slammed the government for not ‘pulling back’ on immigration, saying it is what the people want.
She also called on the government to provide more for pensioners, force banks to pay for the royal commission, and overhaul the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
The budget should fund a coal-fired power station, and a new gas pipeline linking the west and east coasts should be built, she said.
Cabinet minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday denied Ms Hanson’s comments means One Nation has killed off the package, saying negotiations are continuing.
‘She is a wiley operator, Pauline. She will put out there she is supporting it, she is not supporting it, she is not supporting it,’ he told Nine Network.
‘She understands the benefit of tax cuts in an economy like ours.’
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann defended the slow implementation of corporate cuts, saying the government wanted to achieve both a return to surplus as soon as possible and provide certainty to business.
‘Pauline Hanson and her team gave us very firm private and public commitments of support for this very important economic reform,’ he told reporters in Canberra.
‘Obviously, I hope that this is not the last word spoken on this and that we will be able to persuade Pauline Hanson and her team to go back to the position that they adopted earlier this year.’
Cabinet minister Peter Dutton (pictured) on Tuesday denied Ms Hanson’s comments means One Nation has killed off the package, saying negotiations are continuing
One factor in Senator Hanson’s apparent change of heart is her anger that the government did not provide budget funding for her proposed 1000-person apprenticeship pilot scheme.
Senator Cormann defended this saying it was contingent on the passage of the tax cuts legislation.
The government needs Senator Hanson’s votes to secure the package with other crossbenchers and Labor opposed to the plan.
The One Nation leader’s withdrawal of support for the government plan comes ahead of looming ‘Super Saturday’ by-elections crucial to the major parties.
Mathew Longman will seek to win the Queensland seat of Longman for One Nation, currently held by Labor with a margin of less than one per cent.
She also called on the government to provide more for pensioners, force banks to pay for the royal commission, and overhaul the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax