Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I reckon most people listening today would be amazed by the hypocrisy and the irony of the shadow minister for families, housing and human services talking about jobs and job security. From someone who is out there carrying the spear for a reintroduction of Work Choices—and we all know what that meant for Australian families, their pay, their conditions and their job security—to be in here talking about jobs is the height of hypocrisy.

He talked about a typical Australian family on $160,000 a year. It might be typical of the people he is hanging around with but it is not typical of the two out of three households who will benefit at least to the amount that their prices are expected to go up under these changes or the nine out of 10 households who will receive some assistance because of the measures we passed yesterday. Typical, according to the shadow minister opposite is a family on $160,000 a year—how incredibly out of touch the shadow minister is.

The shadow minister talks about the jobs of Australian families at the same time as the Leader of the Opposition yesterday was encouraging his members to vote against the jobs of steelworkers right around Australia. The Leader of the Opposition, who was in here crying crocodile tears about the steelworkers of Whyalla and Whyalla being wiped off the map of Australia, was in here yesterday voting against the jobs of steelworkers around Australia. When the shadow minister talks about going out and reminding constituents about what happened in here yesterday I hope he goes out and reminds the people of Australia that the opposition yesterday voted against a clean energy future for this country. I hope that he goes out and reminds the constituents in his electorate and electorates all around Australia that yesterday the opposition in here voted against pension increases. I hope that he goes out and reminds people right around Australia that yesterday the opposition voted against tax cuts for ordinary working families. I hope that he goes out and reminds people all around Australia that yesterday the opposition voted against increases in family benefits. I hope that he goes out and reminds people all around Australia that yesterday the opposition voted against protecting our environment, our beautiful natural environment—Kakadu, the Great Barrier Reef—

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