Tasmanian MP won’t endorse Bill Shorten plan to repeal tax cuts

Tasmanian Labor MP refuses to endorse Bill Shorten’s plan to repeal tax cuts for small businesses 13 times on radio | LISTEN

Ross Hart with Braddon MP Justine Keay and Bill Shorten in Launceston.

A Tasmanian Labor MP refused to endorse Bill Shorten’s plan to repeal tax cuts for small businesses on 13 occasions after calling up a radio station, batting away questions with responses such as: “Let’s have a conversation about that another time’’.

The Labor MP for Bass, Ross Hart, finally said he supported Mr Shorten’s decision to repeal tax cuts for small businesses after the question was put to him for the 14th time.

In an awkward 15 minute interview with host Brian Carlton, Mr Hart labelled the decision a “captain’s call”, argued it had not gone to shadow cabinet or the caucus and described it as a “matter for Bill Shorten”.

On two occasions he pleaded to have the conversation at a different time.

Mr Hart was also repeatedly asked whether Mr Shorten’s position was in danger following the Opposition Leader’s unilateral decision to repeal tax cuts for businesses with a turnover of between $10 and $50 million.

Mr Hart appeared reluctant to pledge his personal support for Mr Shorten.

Pressed on whether he was on a unity ticket with the Opposition Leader, Mr Hart said: “It has not been discussed, as I understand, by shadow cabinet”.

When pressed on whether the leadership was in jeopardy he replied: “Bill is the leader”.

When asked if he personally supported Mr Shorten’s leadership, Mr Hart said “I do support my leader,” but baulked at offering the assurance a second time.

“I think I have already answered that,” he said.

After Carlton suggested it “wouldn’t hurt” to say it again, Mr Hart said: “I have supported and I do support Bill Shorten’s leadership”.

On 13 occasions during the interview, he refused to say whether he supported the repeal of small business tax cuts.

Some of his responses were: “He (Mr Shorten) is the leader of the party. He has announced this. There have been a lot of observations about the fact that this has been, as you say, a captain’s call”.

He also said: “Let’s have a conversation about that at another time” and, a short time later, again said “well, we will have a conversation about that another time”.

On the 14th time he was asked the question, Mr Hart responded by saying: “I do support the captain’s call”.

Pressed on whether this meant he was backing the repeal of tax cuts for small businesses, Mr Hart said: “I am backing the fact that first of all we need to have profitable businesses in Tasmania”.

Asked whether the decision to reverse the tax cuts had been voted on by caucus, Mr Hart said “this particular issue has not”.

He also said his understood the decision had not been signed-off by shadow cabinet.

“Well I am not present in shadow cabinet. But it has been reported that it has not been to shadow cabinet,” he said.