4 November 1991, Canberra, Australia
You made the rules in 1986. I didn't try to sneak around the back door or sneak underneath this. These rules were made in 1986. I read the rules, said, what am I allowed to do? And that's exactly what we've done. Now, why do you want to change the rules again? This is the first, what's happened with this operation going on now is exactly what those rules were put in place for. It's the first time it's been used. It's exactly what they were put in place for. And we have obeyed them absolutely. Why do you want to change the rules again? I mean, since I grew up as a boy, I would imagine that through the parliaments of Australia, from the time I was 18, 19 years of age to now, there must be 10,000 new laws being passed. And I don't really think it's that much better place.
And I'd like to make a suggestion to you, which I think would be far more useful, if you want to pass a new law, why don't you only do it when you've repealed an old one? I mean, this idea of just passing legislation every time someone blinks is a nonsense. Nobody knows it. Nobody understands it. You've got to be a lawyer. They've got books up to here, purely and simply to do the things we used to do. And every time you pass a law, you take somebody's privileges away from them. There's nothing wrong with minimising tax. I don't know anybody who doesn't minimise their tax.
Politician: And that you are doing so in ways that were contrary to the spirit of the law.
Well, I just got through telling you what I thought about, that. I am not evading tax in any way, shape, or form. Now, of course I am minimising my tax, and if anybody in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want the heads read. Because as a government, I can tell you, you're not spending it that well that we should be donating extra.