Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

This is the last sitting week before the fourth budget of the Abbott-Turnbull government. The Australian people have every cause to be concerned about this fourth budget of the Abbott-Turnbull government because this government has form. This government has delivered to the Australian people economic management for which there has been a real price for the families of millions of Australians and for our country. In fact, we are still paying the price for the 2014 budget as we prepare for the 2017 budget. Just this week, as we speak, this Prime Minister and this Treasurer are trying to get through some of the harsh cuts from the 2014 budget in their omnibus savings bill. The fact of the matter is that this government is projecting a surplus based almost entirely on those harsh cuts from the 2014 budget, which have not passed and will not pass this parliament. The dysfunction and the wrong priorities of this government mean that our economy has had a very real price to pay.

Yesterday in question time the Prime Minister gave a very revealing quote about how he sees the economy and how he sees the Australian people. He said:

Every day the government is delivering the economic growth that Australians deserve.

Either the Prime Minister is not across what is happening or he has a very different opinion about what Australians deserve than this side of the House does, because the fact of the matter is our economy is growing below trend. Unemployment has increased and underemployment is at record highs, with 1.1 million Australians wanting more work but unable to find it. There are fewer full-time jobs than there were a year ago and wages growth is at record lows.

The Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the entire government think that the answer to record low wages growth is to cut wages further. It is telling us that the one thing that unites this government—the one thing that the Turnbull people, the Abbott people, the Dutton people and the Bishop people all agree on—is that people who work on Sundays should be paid less. I would mention the Morrison people, but there is only one of those left!

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