Hanson-Young red-faced after ‘trainwreck’ interview
FIRST it was Julie Bishop. Now Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has redefined the term trainwreck interview.
FIRST it was Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Now Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has redefined the term trainwreck interview.
Senator Hanson-Young claimed her party wanted to abolish the concessional tax treatment of superannuation, before being rescued by her chief-of-staff.
In an interview with the ABC’s Adelaide breakfast show that made Ms Bishop’s superannuation stumble look sedate, Senator Hanson-Young appeared to have no idea about the Greens’ super policy at all.
Hanson-Young: “Look we’re saying in order to make it fair you should be paying the same tax rate on income as you do for what you’re earning on your super. Why not? Why shouldn’t it be the same?”
Presenter Matthew Abraham: “You wouldn’t have tax-free income flow from your super at all?”
Hanson-Young: “Well, we think it needs to be fair.”
Later in the interview, Abraham asked Senator Hanson-Young to confirm she was suggesting the Greens wanted to get rid of concessional rates of tax for superannuation.
“Why should there be?” she replied.
After admitting her chief-of-staff had texted to help bail her out, Senator Hanson-Young attempted to clarify the party’s position — saying they did not favour double taxation, but believed neither the Coalition or Labor’s policy went far enough.
Hanson-Young: “No, I’ve had a text from my chief-of-staff sitting outside, sending me the table.”
Abraham: “Maybe we should get him in.”
Hanson-Young: “It’s basically as I was saying, a progressive tax rate, but we are saying for those who would normally be taxed on the 33 cents for (incomes of) $37,000 to $100,000 it’s 15 cents worth of tax on your super and that would go up towards over $180,000 we are talking 30 to 32 cents in the dollar.”
Labor’s Mark Butler, who was also part of the interview, described Senator Hanson-Young’s comments as “just extraordinary”.
He said he did not believed that what she was describing was really the Greens’ plan, claiming it would undo 30 years of retirement income policy.
Asked about how the Greens would tax contributions, Senator Hanson-Young paused for a long time before exclaiming, “Sorry, what?”
She later went on to say her earlier comments had been in relation to contributions, not earnings.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop bungled her explanation of the Coalition’s planned changes to superannuation policy in an interview with 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
Mitchell: “Are you aware of the transition to retirement scheme?”
Bishop: “I’m certainly aware that we have one, yes.”
Mitchell: “How does it work?”
Bishop: “Well, Neil, this is obviously a gotcha moment. It’s not my portfolio.”
Mitchell: “This is the point. Neither you or Josh Frydenberg understand Transition To Retirement and this is where you’re hitting average people, not the fat cats, the average people.”
Bishop: “I don’t accept that’s the case.”
‘We’ll tax you till you’re poor’: $84bn exodus
Labor’s controversial super tax has already sparked panic — and experts warn Australia only needs to look at this country to see what happens.
Treasurer grilled on $3m super tax fears
Labor has come out swinging in defence of its controversial changes to superannuation taxation, calling for a “bit of perspective”.
Panic selling begins to avoid Labor’s $3m tax
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ looming superannuation tax changes have already sparked a flight for the exits as wealthy retirees scramble to move their money.