QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:39): Can I make the point that I made earlier, which is that in fact the vast majority of Australians do not use trusts. I know that the coalition wants to try and make this about the majority of Australians; 95 per cent of Australians— Opposition senators interjecting— Senator WONG: I again say the vast majority of Australians will not be affected.

Let me explain two points very clearly to the senator. One, 95 per cent of Australians do not receive income from a discretionary trust. Second, farming income is exempt.

Senator WONG: So there you go. There's your two points. Firstly, 95 per cent of Australians do not receive income from a discretionary trust.

Secondly, farming income will be exempt. Now, I have no doubt that, despite that, we will see a fear campaign from those opposite. It is happening now, just as it's happened on all of the tax reform we have engaged in.

What they have never explained is how they will fund their promise to roll all of this back, without hitting ordinary working Australians—because it is this tax package which has ensured tax cuts for Australians, and Australians need these tax cuts. These are important in the cost-of-living situation that we have. Part of how the government is addressing cost-of-living challenges is to ensure working Australians get a tax cut.

But you want to roll back these tax changes, you want to make sure you don't pass savings measures and then you demand more spending. The only way you're going to be able to do that is to go back to the Senator Hume model of higher taxes for the next election.