Tax reform marks beginning of end of Palaszczuk-Turnbull honeymoon period

Date
    November 20, 2015 
    Brisbane Times

The honeymoon period between Queensland's Labor government and the Turnbull federal government appears to be wavering, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk talking tough on tax reform.   

Ms Palaszczuk, who has praised the Prime Minister for his policies on innovation and public transport, as well as for what she labelled her "constructive" discourse with the Coalition leader, has deviated in opinion from Mr Turnbull when it comes to the federal government's suggestion of a raised GST.

Tax reform will be the major agenda topic at next month's Council of Australian Government's meeting, where Ms Palaszczuk said she would not be supporting any raise or broadening of the goods and services tax, in line with federal Labor's position on the issue.   

"The only issue I would raise before that meeting is that the goal posts are continuously changing," she said.

"When we had a previous COAG, it was firmly stated that the premiers, the First Ministers and the Prime Minister would be sitting down to talk about tax reform because of the massive cuts to education and health.

"Over the past few months there is no mention of health, there is no mention of education and all we are hearing about now is increasing the GST and looking at tax cuts.

"And frankly, it's not good enough for the federal Treasurer to say that it's the states and former Labor premiers driving the tax agenda.   

"That is simply not true. The tax agenda is being driven firmly and squarely by the federal government.

"There is no way that the premiers around this country are going to cop no discussion on the massive cuts to health and education. We need to fund services to the public, services to families.

"And there is nothing more important than that."

Ms Palaszczuk is yet to state what her ideal reform would take, or if she supported former premier Campbell Newman's call for more control to be given to the states for education and health funding, rather than a reliance on partnerships.

But Ms Palaszczuk was more positive when it came to the mid-year economic review due next month, six months after Treasurer Curtis Pitt handed down his first budget, self-described as "vanilla".

"This rigorous review has confirmed Queensland is firmly on track to post the strongest growth of any state or territory both this financial year and the next," she said.

"These impressive ongoing predictor growth rates should once again propel Queensland to the forefront of other nation states."

The last Queensland Parliament sitting for 2015 is set for two weeks' time.

Thank goodness Qld pissed off Newmann!