Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like, I would hope, every member here, I take great pride in the fact that I represent a local community. In doing that, I have got to know my electorate very, very well, because that is where I live. I know my electorate may not be the same as everybody else's. I know my electorate is the most multicultural in the country. It is something I take great pride in. The colour, the vibrancy and the diversity of my community are of great significance. But my electorate is one of the most disadvantaged—in fact, the second-most disadvantaged when it comes to socioeconomic rankings. I know where the disadvantage is. I know the pensioners. I know the families that are on a form of welfare support. When I go out of here, I do not put out a press release and simply reiterate my leader's lines, as perhaps those opposite are contemplating when they go back to their electorates. I go and visit the various aged-care facilities in my electorate. I go and visit those people in need. As a matter of fact, I actually close the office once a month for a couple of hours and we do the soup kitchens in my electorate. So do not tell me about disadvantage.

The budget that has been brought down directly targets those least able to afford the pain. All members here accept the need to put an impost on those earning over $180,000. That is fine. That impost only goes for two years and then it returns to what it was. But what the government is doing in this budget to families on tax benefit B, age pensioners, people on carers allowances and young people is permanent. You are talking about making permanent structural changes in our society. You should think about this when you go back to your electorates. While I have disadvantage in my electorate, I am sure you are going to find people in your electorates who also have disadvantage—for instance, the pensioners out there. We are talking about people who survive on $20,000 a year. On the issue of co-payments, I cannot give you an accurate figure that reflects everybody, but my mum lives with me and I know how often I have got to get her to see a GP; I know how often I have got to fill her scripts. This is not something that should be just used for political debate and thrown around like confetti. They are real people out there. People on an age pension cannot suddenly decide to work another shift or work some overtime and make up the difference that way. These are people who do not have a discretionary income, and we are saying to them, 'You are going to disproportionately bear the pain of this budget.'

While all this is happening, despite the undertones and the undercurrents around this, the Prime Minister's Paid Parental Leave scheme is going to go through. We are talking about making sure that the Prime Minister's commitment to the wealthy is maintained.

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