SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Hanson questions WA GST share legality

The One Nation leader has flagged challenging the legality of Western Australia's share of the GST.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson campaigning in Mandurah
The One Nation leader has flagged challenging the legality of Western Australia's share of the GST. (AAP)

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Pauline Hanson says she's keen to investigate whether the federal government is breaching the constitution in the way it distributes the GST.

Section 99 of the constitution states: "The commonwealth shall not, by any law or regulation of trade, commerce, or revenue, give preference to one state or any part thereof over another state or any part thereof".

"This is something I thought about investigating further - maybe the state, for the GST, is being treated unfairly under the constitution," the One Nation leader told reporters in Perth on Monday.

Constitutional expert George Williams said it was true the commonwealth could not discriminate when it came to levying tax, but there were no limitations on granting money to the states.

He said section 96 of the constitution stated: "The (federal) parliament may grant financial assistance to any state on such terms and conditions as the parliament thinks fit."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Section 99 primarily related to commerce and trade not granting money, he said.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world