Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I know that the member for Kennedy would not intentionally try to disrupt my contribution to this debate, and I fully accept the apology that he has made. I know that he is aware of the fact that people do it hard and that, when they are doing it hard, they need the support of government.

I will end my contribution to the debate here by urging members of the opposition to rethink their position, stop saying no to everything and acknowledge the fact that people who are in receipt of the payments that have been outlined and will be covered by this new income support bonus really need support from government. The income support bonus is $1.1 billion over four years—a fraction of the cost that the opposition is promising to spend on their paid parental leave scheme and many other of the policies that are out there in the ether but are not properly costed and are without any details. I would encourage them to look at something that is very tangible and will provide support to a lot of people: to those who are single, to those who are in relationships—partners—and also to those young people who are training so that they can contribute to our Australian economy and society.

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