Goh, Dr T.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:51): Supplementary arising from the answer about people's thoughts on the land tax aggregation measure: prominent critic of the land tax aggregation measure, Unley dentist Dr Timothy Goh, featured in The Australian today. Can the Treasurer assure this chamber that he had no knowledge of which members of the Liberal Party provided information about Dr Timothy Goh to The Australian newspaper?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:51): I am delighted to get that Dorothy Dixer from the Leader of the Opposition. I read The Australian article with great interest. I say good luck to Dr Goh. If he happens to drive a Bentley, and I understand a Lamborghini and a variety of other luxury cars, good luck to him. We celebrate the achievements of people who work hard and who do well.

Dr Goh is one of a group of people who have been outspoken critics of the government's policy, and good luck to them. They are entitled to their views—I don't agree with them. They share a number of posts between them. They have described me as Idi Amin, Dumb and Dumber, stupid, a liar and a variety of other unflattering descriptors, but good luck to them. I am happy to engage. They have similar views to the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party, evidently, in relation to land tax, and good luck to them.

As I read the article, it was only information available from publicly available social media posts, and inevitably, when someone involves themselves in public debate, there will be chatter and gossip between journalists, MPs, staffers and others, because they put themselves out there and they engage in public debate. As I said, they and a group of others refer to ministers such as myself as Idi Amin, Dumb and Dumber, and others.

If you engage in public debate, of course there will be chatter and gossip. In the end, the whole notion, as has been suggested in this article, that in some way the Liberal Party, a minister or a staffer directed David Penberthy to write an article, is nonsense; it is preposterous. Anyone who knows David Penberthy would know that the mere suggestion that a minister or a staffer, a spin doctor for a minister, could direct him to write anything that he did not want to write is preposterous. So we of course reject that completely.

Inevitably, if people put themselves out there and associate themselves with a group of people referring to ministers as Idi Amin, Dumb and Dumber, stupid, liars and a variety of other unflattering descriptors, they will be the subject of discussion, gossip and debate, and inevitably there will be discussion between MPs, staffers and journos, but in no way would David Penberthy or indeed any other journalist be directed. They make their own decisions and ultimately they are responsible for the articles that they write.