Freshman MP’s tax cut ‘stunt’ unites government and opposition against Greens

A “stunt” by a freshman Greens MP to force a debate on a supply bill was roundly criticised in Parliament, even uniting the opposition and government, in what one academic says highlights the party’s newfound hubris after the election results.

Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather told Crikey on Wednesday he had no regrets and that the government was feigning “faux outrage” to distract from a set of controversial tax cuts.

The night before, a full hour after the treasurer’s budget speech when most of the chamber had emptied and the MPs left were going through the motions of passing appropriations and supply bills, Chandler-Mather moved to amend a set of bills in order to make a protest speech about the government’s stage three tax cuts. 

“The perversity of it is that we all sat here, hearing the treasurer talk about a sensible budget with tough choices, but everyone in this place is going to get an extra $9000 a year once the stage three tax cuts come into effect,” Chandler-Mather said. 

“What are the tough choices that we’re all making here? What are the tough choices that the billionaires and millionaires are making, who are going to get the $9000 extra a year out of the stage three tax cuts?”

He went on to ask “why on earth” his fellow MPs would wonder “why people don’t like politicians”. 

“The amendment we’re moving tonight is to highlight the hypocrisy of a government that claims to care about ordinary people but gives $9000 extra a year to the politicians in this place who are already well overpaid.” 

The move made Leader of the House Tony Burke see red. 

“There are different times in this place where either side of politics or the crossbench will do something that’s ostensibly viewed as a bit of a stunt to highlight an issue, and I respect that, but I’ve never seen one like this,” he said. 

Burke said if the amendment were to be carried, it would “negate the bill” because there wouldn’t be enough time to get it to the Senate to pass it before late November.  

“That puts in jeopardy the wages of every public servant — including, I might add, the public servants delivering the exact sorts of payments that the member might want to refer to.

“In terms of stunts there are plenty of bills where you can move a second reading amendment, but to pick supply … I thought the sorts of arguments as to whether supply would be jeopardised in Australia were dispensed quite some decades ago.” 

LNP MP Stuart Robert rose to speak and said the bill should be passed without amendment “in line with Westminster convention”. 

“It is normally an extraordinary thing when the opposition will stand in solidarity with the government,” he said. “It is a rare thing when it comes to stunts in this place. The leader of the house and I have been doing this for a long time … but neither of us can remember a time when a rookie error like this was made.”

The amendment was voted down. 

Chandler-Mather told Crikey he never meant to risk holding up the bill.

“The Greens made clear that we wouldn’t block supply and there was no chance of that happening,” he said. “The amendment literally read ‘whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading’, while under House rules private members can’t move amendments that could block supply.

“After all Burke’s bluster, the supply bill passed completely uneventfully, so I imagine all the faux outrage was to distract from the stage three tax cuts that will see every politician get an extra $9000 while ordinary people suffer 56% increases in energy bills and stagnant wages.

“The Greens will take every opportunity we can to highlight how disgraceful it is that in a cost-of-living crisis, the government wants to spend $254 billion on the stage three tax cuts, rather than bring dental into Medicare or invest in public housing.”

Monash University politics lecturer Blair Williams said the move showed that the Greens feel emboldened after their election success in May, boosting their numbers in Parliament to four MPs and 12 senators. 

“They feel emboldened, they feel like they’re representing the young vote and the over a third of Australians who are renting,” she said. 

“Young people’s interests aren’t being represented here, and it gives the Greens more of an impetus to fight on these issues.”