Today Show - In The House

SUBJECTS: Asylum seekers, Labor’s taxes E&OE............................... Karl Stefanovic: It is the final countdown. September 14 with question mark. We’ll get to that in a second. It is time now for In The House with Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Shadow Education Minister Christopher Pyne. He’s got a fancy title since you were all here last. Hon Pyne Christopher Pyne MP: I know, he has really come up in the world. Hon Anthony Albanese MP: It’s been a big three weeks. Pyne: Since he’s been doing this show. Stefanovic: Exactly. Pyne: That’s what happened. Stefanovic: We like to claim credit for that… Albanese: ...that was the key. Stefanovic: It was. Hey, let’s start with boat arrivals; any developments over night at all? Any more boats coming? Albanese: The development overnight which is pretty important is Indonesia making an announcement that they would remove the exemption that’s been there for people from Islamic countries who have automatically got visas, from Iran. That won’t happen, they’re moving on that and they’ve made that announcement overnight, which is pretty good news. Lisa Wilkinson: What sort of difference do you think it will make? Albanese: Well, what it will do is stop the transit traffic to go from say Iran, Middle East, Indonesia, get your visa on arrival and then have already have pre-organised a people smuggler to put you on a boat. That will be far more difficult if there is no an automatic transit through Indonesia. It’s an example of good cooperation and I congratulate and thank the Indonesian government for doing what they’ve done. Stefanovic: There’s also a story on the front page of The Daily Telegraph today saying you’ve cut a deal with other countries. Is that true? Albanese: Well what we’re doing and we’ve said this Karl, is that there need to be a regional solution to this. So we are in discussions, and we haven’t made a deal yet... Stefanovic: … You haven’t (inaudible) a deal yet, you are just in discussions. Albanese: No, we’re, announcements will be made when they are made Karl, so I’m not in position to make further detail here. But suffice to say, we know that, part of the solution is a regional solution and we have of course made an arrangement when the Prime Minister went to Jakarta to see President Yudhoyono, they announced the regional summit, so those steps are in place. Wilkinson: Christopher Pyne you must be pleased to hear that there is movement happening? Pyne: Well I think the decision the Indonesians have made about the Iranian visa holders is a good one. It would be good if Malaysia made the same decision because that would then end that capacity to come through Malaysia or Indonesia, so that’s the next step. But we do welcome Indonesia’s move. In terms of the stories in The Daily Telegraph this morning, I had two thoughts about them; one, it sounds like Australia is a regional processing hub and I’m not sure that’s going to stop the boats if we are the regional processing hub and it sounded like more summits, more meetings for Kevin Rudd to fly to around the world to see world leaders to talk about stopping the boats. The only way to stop the boats of course is to take away the sugar off the table, which is permanent residency. If you make people who come by boat unable to get permanent residency, which is what John Howard did, it takes the sugar off the table. Off shore processing and of course turning back the boats where it’s safe to do so and we’re now seeing a lot of naval officers and people from the military saying that it is perfectly capable of being done and that is the most important thing you can do to stop people smugglers having a business plan. Wilkinson: We’re also seeing a lot of naval officers who are really suffering through this process as well. Pyne: They are. Well they are thoroughly sick of it. I mean the navy does not want to be a taxi service for people smugglers, it actually wants to defend Australia. Stefanovic: Is it actually legal to turn the boats around? Pyne: Of course it is. Stefanovic: In terms of international piracy, the strict definition of piracy, is it actually legal? Have you checked that? Pyne: Well look, there are waters, if there are fishing boats or people smugglers on international waters, then there is no reason why Australia can’t say, here’s enough fuel for you to get back to Indonesia where you came from, you are not coming to Australia, that is perfectly within our rights to do that. Stefanovic: Alright let’s move on. Let’s move to the salary sacrificing and car issue, which has been a hot one in the last couple of days. A little bit later in the show we’ve got a man called Danny Wilson coming in, he runs a car leasing company, MLC. Basically, yesterday he was forced to sack 74 workers following these proposed changes because the phones essentially just stopped. I mean, was there enough consultation done with business? Was there enough warning? Or was this just policy on the run? Albanese: Well look, this was certainly not policy on the run. When you make tax changes, you announce them and they come into force on that date, otherwise and that occurs with all tax measures, it has occurred from time in memorial… Stefanovic: ... it just started? Albanese: In terms of yes, it requires legislation but let’s just be serious about what has just been said… Stefanovic: …let’s just clarify. Sorry… Albanese: …sure…. Stefanovic: I just want the detail here. It hasn’t started yet, but it will require legislation? Albanese: Correct, but it will start from the day of announcement. That’s what happens with tax changes, for obvious reasons, so people cannot shift and avoid tax. And all we are talking about here, anyone who is entitled to claim will still be able to claim, as simple as that. All we are doing, is removing a loop hole whereby some people who are claiming entitlements when they weren’t due because they weren’t actually using their car for work, can’t continue to claim them. This is a common sense change. Wilkinson: People do get a bit spooked though when they know the tax department is going to be all over something like this. It really does, for a lot of people in business, they’re people who are under $100,000 and are aspiring and a car becomes part of something that means they can aspire to become part of something better and surely the Labor Party would support that. Albanese: And guess what Lisa, people in business who use their car for a lot more than 20% of the time. The tradies out there using their utes, the people who might be the sales people driving around use it for a lot more, they keep a log book now and what will occur is, it’s twelve weeks every five years. You get an app, you put it on your phone, it keeps a record, done. It is as simple as that. The only people this will affect, is people who were claiming they were using their car for work, who aren’t using their car for work, as simple as that. Stefanovic: Will you wind this back if you get into office? Pyne: Well I think the first thing is, on this day that Kevin Rudd announced that he was terminating the carbon tax, he didn’t terminate the carbon tax, but he is terminating the car industry. Albanese: Oh Christopher. Pyne: Wreck it Rudd is all talk and no action…. Stefanovic: Will you get rid of it? Albanese: Will you get rid of it? Forget the rhetoric. You don’t know? Pyne: It is highly unlikely, well I do know… Albanese: What are you going to do? Pyne: It is highly unlikely… Stefanovic: Oh Pyne: I’m going to finish my sentence Karl. Stefanovic: Lovely, you keep rambling and rambling. Come on. Pyne: I’m not rambling. The point is, he was going to terminate the carbon tax, he didn’t…. Stefanovic: ...you’re rambling again… Wilkinson: …you’re still not answering the question… Stefanovic: ….talk to me… Albanese: …yes or no… Pyne: It is highly unlikely, it is highly unlikely the parliament will sit and this will be legislated. So it is highly unlikely the Coalition will get to vote against this before the election. But if we do win the election, which is our plan, it is highly unlikely we will ever introduce this…. Albanese: …of course they will. Pyne: What we will do, is talk to industry, which Rudd didn’t do, so old Kevin has not changed at all… Stefanovic: …You can’t bag them though. Pyne: We’ll consult with industry first, hang on; we’ll ask the industry first and if what Labor is saying about the car industry is true. If it is not true and I suspect Labor is not telling the truth about this otherwise a previous treasurer would have done it before, we will not support it. Wilkinson: Well the industry will say don’t do it. Stefanovic: So are you not going to?... Albanese: …they’re not going to get rid of it. (Inaudible) Pyne: After consultation with the car industry, which Labor didn’t do, I think it is highly unlikely that we will support this legislation… Stefanovic: ...but not… Pyne: ...at any point. It’s highly unlikely we will introduce it because it’s a job destroying tax, just like the mining tax. Stefanovic: As you, highly unlikely is not definitive. Wilkinson: There’s a door about that much open. Pyne: We haven’t had a cabinet meeting to discuss it, a shadow cabinet meeting to discuss it and we haven’t consulted with industry, we’re doing that now. Unlike Labor, who didn’t do any of those things, we think that’s how government should work. But we don’t believe we should destroy the car industry. I come from South Australia, I want Holden to stay open, they’re the ones that are introducing this thing… Stefanovic: We’ve got to go guys. It took you guys 10 minutes to fire up. Wilkinson: To say high unlikely. Albanese: And he still couldn’t say yes. Pyne: You’re in favour of it, you’re in favour of the job destroying tax. Albanese: Only need one word Pyne: Job destroying tax. Stefanovic: We’ve got to go. ENDS.