Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Here we are again. It is another budget day, and we have already seen in the early media leaks and the backgrounding that is going on that the government again tonight will attack working families, families in our electorates. It is pretty clear to all of us on this side of the House, and to all Australians who will be out there tonight watching, that the government are only interested in doing one thing tonight; they are only worried about saving their own jobs.

They had better think again about some of the budget measures they are putting forward tonight. What we have already heard is that they are going after women and they are going after families. They are saying to 80,000 women who are about to embark on having a child, 'You will possibly lose some of your paid parental leave entitlements.' They are saying it is one or the other. They are completely ignoring the fact that we have enterprise bargaining in this scheme; the government currently, through the former Labor government, has a minimum payment; and then, through hard work and negotiations with employers, workers are able to get that topped up.

Just so the government are clear who they are attacking when they introduce this measure, they are attacking women who work in retail; they are attacking nurses; they are attacking teachers. They are attacking some of the hardest working Australians. The government are only interested in saving their own jobs. This government and the budget tonight are for elite men. It is written by elite men and it will continue to— (Time expired)

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