Fed: Now we have the good news gorgon

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2009
Fed: Now we have the good news gorgon

By Don Woolford

CANBERRA, Aug 17 AAP - The ancient Greeks might be surprised to know there's now a
good news gorgon.

Not a ferocious creature that could turn people to stone but a source of dazzling wealth
for Australia.

Kevin Rudd and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson carried on at length in question time
on Monday about the new gorgon, the massive Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia.

With eyes flashing like cash registers, they talked about the thousands of jobs and
the billions in national income the project, if it gets a final go-ahead, would bring.

Oh - and it would be great for the environment too.

But the ungrateful opposition wasn't interested in all this good news.

Malcolm Turnbull preferred to ask about a media report that Treasury secretary Ken
Henry's tax review would recommend family homes selling for more than $2 million be whacked
with capital gains tax.

As a Labor MP gleefully shouted, that would certainly include the Turnbull family home.

After a low dig about his opponent's good contacts in Treasury, Rudd played it straight
at first. He said everyone would have to wait for the review.

When Turnbull persisted, Rudd wondered what had happened to the opposition's tax review
commissioned last year and yet to see the light of day.

Joe Hockey stayed on theme by dredging up old remarks by Lindsay Tanner about the need
to reform the tax treatment of homes.

The finance minister marvelled that Hockey had nothing better to do than trawl through
comments made 15 years ago.

"All jokes and buffoonery," Tanner jeered, before he admitted, without trace of embarrassment:
"We have all said things in the past that we regret."

The opposition moved on to other possible tax nasties like a rise in the fuel excise
and the Medicare levy.

"I sense a theme arising," Rudd was all sarcasm.

He said there were just two opposition constants - fear and smear.

He even quoted Peter Costello with approval noting dismissive remarks the former treasurer
had made about Turnbull's 2005 ideas about tax.

Costello seemed to think this was hilarious. Turnbull was less amused, though hardly
turned to stone.

AAP dw/sb/mmr

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