MEDIA RELEASE
VISIONLESS ABBOTT VACATES THE FIELD ON SHARING ECONOMY
The Abbott Government is ducking responsibility for leading a serious conversation about the sharing economy.
Today’s ruling by the Australian Tax Office shows the Government is leaving it up to line agencies to drive national policymaking on services like Uber.
These are not the actions of a future-focused government.
Internationally, some authorities have ruled that sharing economy apps represent a different type of service which requires a distinct regulatory approach. But the Abbott Government has been slow to recognise that new technologies may require the rules to be updated.
Labor launched our consultation process on the sharing economy because we believe it is important to look at this new sector as a whole instead of taking a piecemeal approach.
All companies should comply with Australian laws. But we should also be working to ensure those laws are fit for purpose as innovative new business models emerge.
Labor’s work on the sharing economy is part of our broader plan to build a smarter and more entrepreneurial Australia.
We recognise the need to support innovation – which is why Bill Shorten’s Budget Reply proposed creating a Smart Investment Fund and encouraging more students to study science, technology, engineering and maths.
We are stepping up to these future challenges because the current government has completely vacated the field.
The Abbott Government should pull its head out of the 19th Century and start showing some vision and leadership on the sharing economy.
WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: JENNIFER RAYNER 0428 214 856
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