The Opposition Leader was in Brisbane this morning, to sell his $14-billion State Schools election pledge. But that message was somewhat overshadowed, by the Prime Minister’s announcement of business tax cuts.

Leanne Nebe reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Bill Shorten was visiting students at Mansfield State School and he had no apologies for talking up teaching, rather than tax.

Bill Shorten, Opposition Leader: “I’m always going to pick our kids and I’ll always to pick the sick over corporate tax cuts.”

Mr Morrison says his tax cuts, announced overnight, will benefit three million small businesses.

Tax rates for business were due to drop to 25% within eight years.

But would fall in three years instead.

Businesses earning up to $500,000 dollars will save up to $12,500 dollars a year, once the plan is implemented.

The PM says 94% of workers will pay no more than 32.5 cents in the dollar of extra income earned and that his plans for tax reforms are the biggest the country’s seen in a generation.

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister: “And our plan is you get to keep more of what you earn, when you put more in, you have the opportunity to keep more of that.”

As the Prime Minister promises to fast track tax-cuts, the Labor leader says he’s keeping an open-mind about the policy.

Mr Shorten rejects claims from the Coalition that his party wants to repeal his tax proposals.

Bill Shorten, Labor Leader: “We’re not ruling it out, and we’re not ruling it in, we want to see the numbers. You don’t spend tens of billions of dollars on a whim.”

Leanne Nebe, QUT News.