Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, the old saying that my father used to say is, 'Sorry is the hardest word to say.' That is not a word that we ever really hear from the government. It is a word that this government does not want to say, because it is not sorry for any of the cuts that were introduced and that the community have had to put up with, with fear and concern, for the last three years. This government has a horrific record when it comes to looking after those that are vulnerable and disadvantaged. My community in the southwest of Brisbane knows that. One of the things I heard continuously in the election, coming up to a year ago, was that people felt that they were under pressure. They felt that the government was not on their side. They felt that it was a government that had the deck stacked against them.

Nothing has changed whatsoever. The only thing that has changed is the fact that this government does not have the numbers. Let's be clear: if they had the numbers, all of these measures would be passed. They would be rejoicing. Who can forget Joe Hockey on that famous first budget night when he played the music and danced around in his office to 'The best night of my life?' Who can remember that? It was the best night of his life and the worst night of Australia's life, when we saw the unfair and cruel cuts introduced.

The electorate of Oxley has a high level of people relying on government support. They know that there are people in my community that are doing it tough, but they are a resilient and strong community. I want to place on record in the House today thanks for the community organisations, for the local residents and for the leadership of the Labor Party before I was elected, who have campaigned side by side with activists right across this country. Just last week in my electorate the community rallied and came together to make sure in the week before the budget that this parliament, this government and this minister heard very clearly, 'Hands off our services; no more cuts.'

I was so pleased that the shadow minister, the member for Jagajaga, was able to join the community. This rally had people represented from the community sector and from churches, volunteers and local residents. It did not make the front page of The Australian newspaper and it did not lead the news that night, but there was the power and strength of that community. The member for Jagajaga and I were was so proud that the community would take a stance, unite and stand as one. They are the people who deserve to be acknowledged, not this government that it is walking away slowly, backwards—cowardly, in my opinion. It does not even have the guts. It is little wonder that the minister is remaining silent on this. In this, the same week that showed he would lose his own electorate—polls have shown just how deeply unpopular his own government is in his own electorate—we saw Australians uniting and standing up to the bullying tactics of this government right across Australia.

At the rally we heard from representatives of the people like Father Peter Moore, a wonderful community leader who provides great care and compassion through the Anglican parish of Goodna in my electorate. He runs a fantastic organisation which provides counselling, housing support, food and clothing—all of those essential services—because the community is under stress and under pressure through no support and help from this government whatsoever.

We also heard from magnificent community champions, like Shirley Crawley from the Family Accommodation & Support Service in Inala. Shirley has been a volunteer in my community, helping disadvantaged people, for the last 30 years. She stood shoulder to shoulder with the member for Jagajaga and me, on stage in front of my local residents—standing strong and standing up to this government.

We know that the cruel cuts are not all gone. My community knows, just as every other electorate in Australia knows, that although the government may be dropping one iteration to cuts to family budgets they have introduced new cuts into this budget. These are cuts that will leave around 100,000 hardworking families worse off. We know that the government cannot be trusted when it comes to Australian families, and we know that there is a new cut to the family tax benefit that will leave a family with two children in high school on $105,000 worse off by $1,700 from 1 July next year.

That is not a lot of money for those sitting at the dispatch box on the government side. I know that that does not mean a lot to those opposite. It means an incredible amount of support for families in my electorate. I want to place on record just the cruelness that they are going to make as a result of this budget. It is all very well wanting to have some sort of pat on the back when the Australian community have forced you into this position. It is not because you have disagreed with it, or that you have had a change of heart or that you think it was bad public policy: it was the numbers. It was the numbers which showed that you simply could not deliver this project.

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