15-07-2025
'We've got to be discussing taxes': Labor minister refuses to rule out tax hikes after accidental release of Treasury advice
The Albanese government is refusing to rule out further tax hikes, with a senior Labor minister declaring tax had to be discussed as part of the broader economic reform agenda.
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth made the comments on Nine's Today program just one day after the ABC published confidential advice provided to Treasurer Jim Chalmers after the recent election.
Treasury's incoming government brief, which was accidentally released following an FOI request from the national broadcaster, advised Mr Chalmers that improvements in the budget would need to come 'from economic growth, additional revenue and spending reductions' and that 'tax should be raised as part of broader tax reform'.
Asked which additional taxes the government wanted to increase, Ms Rishworth said people had 'got a little bit of ahead of themselves in terms of trying to pick specific taxes'.
However the Employment and Workplace Relations Minister made it clear tax changes needed to be on the table.
'What the Treasurer has clearly said is that to have a conversation about productivity and economic resilience and making sure that we have budget sustainability, of course we've got to be discussing taxes; as well as other measures that we can take to boost productivity,' she said.
Ms Rishworth said the Albanese government had 'already made significant tax reform'.
'We've reduced income tax for every single taxpayer, but we've also made changes to the PRRT (petroleum resource rent tax), as an example, making multinationals pay their fair share.
'There's a lot we've been getting on with, but of course we'll have a conversation and can make serious consideration of all proposals.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out increasing the GST as part of any tax reform, however the government has proposed major changes to the way superannuation is taxed, including a doubling of the tax on super accounts with balances of more than $3 million.
The tax would also apply to unrealised capital gains, which critics claim will set a dangerous precedent as it taxes perceived wealth rather than actual income.
Speaking to ABC's 7.30 on Monday, the federal Treasurer said the government had not been working on any additional changes to its superannuation tax proposal.
