Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for his supplementary question. He is quite right: we do need consistency in workplace relations policy. We heard in my initial answer that 130 jobs a day are going when the conservatives take over Queensland. Also, I did not get the chance to tell the member for Moreton that, since Barry O'Farrell has been elected Premer of New South Wales, only 19 jobs a day get created in New South Wales. How lucky is New South Wales to have someone in charge who can only create 19 jobs a day! That is hopeless.

Of course, in Victoria we have Ted Baillieu, who thinks that TAFE is a four-letter word and should be cut, and we notice that the Leader of the Opposition has come out of the witness protection program to help Team Zed in the ACT. My goodness! That is just what public sector workers in the ACT want—to know that if they vote conservative in the ACT they get the coalition's industrial relations anti-worker policies!

I am asked about consistency. I will tell you what, member for Moreton—when you go with the government, we mean it when we say that we will increase super from nine per cent to 12 per cent. We abolished the tax on superannuation for those on less than $37,000. What do we get from those opposite? They vote against increasing super for the worker and they vote against improving workers' entitlements, and they will reintroduce a tax on superannuation for the low-paid. I will tell you what they will also do. When it comes to chasing what they allege to be a tainted vote we see my opposite number on the shadow bench, who is happy to chase a vote they demonise as tainted when it suits their political—(Time expired)

Mr Pyne interjecting—

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