Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

and we still have not got the towers that were promised in 2014. We have got every right to ask why the government has not told the truth. Why are bushfire-affected communities still waiting for the towers that were promised in 2014? They are still waiting because this government does not care.

During the election, we announced funding for the upgrade of Bridge Inn Road in Mernda—it needs to be duplicated because of the growth—as well as announcing upgrades to Craigieburn Road and to the four-way traffic lights at the intersection at Whittlesea. These are just some of the projects that we know would be vital to our community if only the people of McEwen and Victoria were to receive a fair share of infrastructure allocation from this government. But, like the rest of the government's broken promises, investing in safer roads for McEwen was a promise that never was.

As we know, when it comes to education this government does not do things by half. The cuts and the delays certainly do not stop. Not just do the cuts target working people, the elderly or the sick; they also target our younger generations. Under a Labor government, through the promises we made at the last election, every student in McEwen would have had the same educational opportunities as the rest of Australia. Labor's plan pushed for more one-on-one support for students, challenged those students who excelled through extension classes, and focused on evidence-based learning to make sure our students would get the most from their schools. Whether it is axing $21 million from the Gonski funding or cutting the schoolkids bonus, the Liberal government have only delivered cuts. Kids in our communities just cannot catch a break with this lot. At the end of the day, every single one of the kids in the 78 schools across McEwen will be our economic, social and political future. They will drive the 'innovation nation' that this government so strongly support. But eight months on from the election we ask: why aren't they a priority?

Throughout the towns and the communities across McEwen I have heard from parents who have been unable to afford schoolbooks, uniforms, shoes or excursions. I have heard parents tell me that they have had no choice but to send their kids to school with uniforms that are two sizes too small. In one of our schools, 18 students out of the 20 in the class did not have books because their parents could not afford them—thanks to this Liberal government's cuts. It is unacceptable. It is wrong. It is just unfair. Our families are feeling the pressure caused by this government's twisted priorities. We must ensure that school is accessible to all families and ensure all students across the country have the opportunity to thrive in our education system.

What about the government's Productivity Commission review of the NDIS? My constituents know how little this government cares about the NDIS. They have experienced firsthand the attempts to stall the rollout and diminish the effectiveness of services in Victoria. To this government, 'productivity' means making services work harder for less; 'productivity' means making the worse off prove more to get less.

I think of Stuart Locke who came to see me about the future of the special school bus that he operates in Seymour. Stuart was worried that the review would include recommendations to cut the bus service and replace it with other travel arrangements—which, as we have seen, has happened in the capital cities. If this were to happen, the close relationship that his service has built over the years with the school and the students would be destroyed—all in the name of the government's 'productivity'. He is worried that these kids will have to travel in vehicles that are not designed for their needs, without the supervision and stability that helps them get to school safely. In rural communities, where the NDIS does not pay for public transport, this means paying for taxis. Not only are taxis too expensive for those who need them, but also the government does not think and does not realise that there are not that many available for people with disabilities.

What kind of a rort are you running? We cannot stand for this. The government must ensure that the review will focus on making the best possible NDIS for people with disability and not use it as just another cost-cutting service.

Now the government has come out with their latest cracker: they want to cut penalty rates. Again, they have shown that their priorities are all wrong. They are the Irish Robin Hoods—the opposite of Robin Hood: they take from the poor to give to the rich, and serve it on a silver platter with maybe some truffles and a little bit of champagne!

An honourable member interjecting—

That is why I couldn't think of it—I have never tried it; I would not know. The Liberal government wants to make the lives of 700,000 Australians worse off by cutting $77 a week out of their pay. If the Prime Minister's support for and inaction on these cuts does not show you how arrogant and out of touch he is, I do not know what would. He is giving a platform for employers to now come out and make new submissions to cut weekend penalty rates in other sectors of the economy. Thirty-seven thousand people who work in industries affected by unsociable hours live in our community, including 8,500 people who work in retail, 8,000 who work in health care and social assistance—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives

Sitting suspended from 17:33 to 18:12

I represent over 37,000 people who work in industries affected by unsociable hours—that includes the 8,500 who work in retail, 8,000 who work in health care and social assistance and 3,700 workers in the accommodation and food services industry. Removing penalty rates, overtime, shiftwork allowance and public holiday pay means the introduction of around-the-clock work and the lengthening of the working day. I know this because my father worked night shift for 35 years in the printing room of the Herald Sun, and I have seen firsthand the many issues that shift workers face, such as those of health and wellbeing and of family and social disconnection. He was not able to participate in normal family life, because when we were getting up in the morning to go to school he had just gone to bed after a full night's work, so it meant often he would miss out on family functions and school sports events and being there for other activities that a parent wants to spend with their kids. When I worked for the RACV, I had to work Christmas Day and both day and night shifts on weekends. I know this had a big impact on my own family life. I am not going to stand for the Liberal government's refusal to acknowledge the breadth of the impact on our community of these ridiculous decisions they are making.

My office has been inundated with constituents seeking advice about incorrectly calculated Centrelink debt. I know I am not on my Pat Malone there. The state in which these robo-debts leave vulnerable people is just appalling. Take, for example, an elderly woman in Seymour who is currently caring for her 17-year-old grandson, who is disabled. She had been benefiting from family tax benefit A and B to help her support his needs. In October last year, her grandson was approved for the disability support pension and backdated, which somehow leaves her ineligible for family tax benefit. Now she is being asked to pay back the family tax benefit she has received since her grandson's payment began. On top of that, Centrelink will not allow her to apply for an interest free loan, which has left her in the lurch about where to go. She has to pay back money that she did not know was coming from her grandson, because of this government's inability to be able to run even a chook raffle, let alone a social welfare system. Without these benefits, she is going to be unable to register her car or pay everyday expenses, which severely impacts the quality of life that she and her grandson experience.

Centrelink has already started deducting payments from her latest payments, without even having the decency to consult her. It is a clear example of how this government does not care about the little people. Why is this government not committed to providing families with the right information for their situation? Why isn't the government investing in IT, phones and better staffing for Centrelink? Those are questions that people ask every day. It is disappointing that the government is turning its back on families throughout McEwen and throughout Australia.

I am very proud to keep fighting for the people of McEwen because I know that these services are so important to them. It is Labor that puts people first. That was our election promise and it is the bedrock of our values, and it is something that I and my colleagues firmly stand behind. The Liberal government look for ways to cut and save, but what they do not see are the true impacts. They refuse to see that the numbers translate into people, into families and into every single Australian.

This government has backed down on so many of its promises and it has failed to deliver properly for the people of McEwen or the nation as a whole. That is why, eight months on, I am not going to back down until it starts delivering for our communities. One thing I have been very proud of in my time as an MP is being able to deliver every promise I have ever made. I said to the people of McEwen, 'I'm here for you,' and I still will be. I will fight this government tooth and nail until it starts to realise that it cannot keep cutting and hurting people who can least afford it.

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