Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

This speech about the budget bills is inspired by the millions of people angry at a budget that threatens this country's way of life. Amongst them, there are many who always feared that this budget was exactly what Tony Abbott would do if he ever got his hands on the reins of power. But there are also many who never expected that an Australian government would charge sick people more to see a doctor while Gina Rinehart gets taxpayer-subsidised fuel. There are people who never imagined that a government would give away billions in tax breaks to the wealthy while forcing people under 30 to live without any income at all because the government had taken it away. There are many who believed that, although it was under pressure, the compact underlying our society—which says that if you are young or old, if you get sick or you fall on hard times, we will look after you—would endure. There were probably even those people who were just so sick of Labor infighting that they voted for Tony Abbott just for the sake of any alternative. There are also those who believed Tony Abbott when he said that there would be no cuts to health, education or pensions.

Wherever people came from, one thing is now crystal clear: whoever people voted for last time, no-one voted for this budget. Tony Abbott has sucker punched the Australian people. He said whatever he had to to get into office and then turned around and delivered to this country's one per cent. He is doing the bidding of people who think it is okay to take away the income of a jobseeker under 30 and force them onto the street but who will squeal like stuck pigs if you suggest taking away their $11 billion in fossil fuel subsidies and making them pay the same for petrol as everyone else in this country. Tony Abbott has delivered for the people who believe it is fine—

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