7th Feb 2018 – Senate Motions - Productivity Commission Report - GST distribution (Tas & SA)

The majority voted in favour of a motion, which means it passed. Motions like these don't make any legal changes but represent the will of the Senate and so can be politically influential.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that, on 3 January 2018, the Treasurer (Mr Morrison) announced that the final report of the Productivity Commission's inquiry into the economic impact of horizontal fiscal equalisation would be delayed to 15 May 2018;

(b) notes that the Productivity Commission's draft report revealed that under changes to the distribution of GST revenue Tasmania stands to lose $168 million in the first year alone, and South Australia stands to lose $557 million in the first year alone;

(c) notes that the Turnbull Government's decision means the final report will not be delivered until after the South Australian and Tasmanian state elections, and after the next Federal budget is handed down;

(d) condemns the Turnbull Government for hiding its plans from the people of Australia; and

(e) calls on the Turnbull Government to make its planned changes to the distribution of the GST clear before South Australians and Tasmanians vote in upcoming state elections.