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

No; it is a commitment to the wealthy. I do not know how many people in your electorate down the South Coast—I cannot remember its name—earn over $100,000 a year, but I can tell you the average income in my electorate is $35,000. I invite you to tell me what it is in your electorate. Why should a woman who has a baby in my electorate get only, say, $15,000 a year, when someone over in the Treasurer's electorate can come away with a cool $50,000? Kids born in my electorate should not be valued any less than children born anywhere else. These kids have the potential to go and become anything, including members of this place, as all Australians have. So do not start throwing the value of a child around and say, 'If you're born in a wealthy Liberal electorate, we're going to pay you more, but, if you come from a working-class area'—such as mine—'we will reserve our right to pay you less.' This is just ridiculous.

I want to talk about something that came out in the Senate today. As I said earlier, one of the things I do regularly is visit aged-care workers in my electorate. I appreciate what they do. They work long and hard hours, and to think that we are now making cuts to people in the dementia wards, that we are going to cut the allowances for people working in dementia and special needs—

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