Shorten is hoping for a
personal lift when the Government outlines its GST
plans, possibly to broaden the base or raise the current
10 percent rate.
"Once we have more detail
in Australia about the economic plans of the government
as opposed to just talk we will have a real debate going
on,” he told reporters in Canberra.
And that, and Shorten’s
future, is all in the hands of the Government.
“You will have to ask Mr
Turnbull when he will reveal his policies,” he said.
Labor frontbencher Amanda
Rishworth has this explanation for Labor's poor polling"
"It’s clear that people
are very relieved that Tony Abbott is no longer Prime
Minister," she told Sky News.
"Malcolm Turnbull has been
out rubbing shoulders with world leaders, but Malcolm
Turnbull can only tell people what they want to hear for
so long."
The Opposition is focusing
on its policy announcements, confirming Tuesday that it
will hit smokers harder, if elected, and raise an extra
$47 billion over ten years by continuing to increase the
tobacco excise.
Under the plan, the cost
of a single stick would pass $1, while by 2020, a packet
of 25 cigarettes would cost more than $40.
With an estimated 2.5
million smokers in Australia, Shorten insists he is
motivated by both health concerns and the need for new
Government revenue.
Source:
Huffington Post Australia, dated 24/11/2015. |