Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We have all heard members on the right claim that they are all for lower taxes. Their advertising often uses this as a single-minded proposition. In their latest budget, handed down recently by the Treasurer of course, that is absolutely what they did—but only for the highest-income earners. For everyone else—for the true, ordinary hardworking Australians—guess what? They are getting a tax hike.

This is clearly a budget that is designed to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. It is what can only be described as a simple-minded proposition. This is an unfair budget, not a fair budget. This is a budget that makes life harder for ordinary Australians and it could not come at a worse time. It comes at a time when the latest ABS figures show that wage growth is at its lowest-ever levels—1.9 per cent wages growth. It comes at a time when the general cost of living is increasing by 2.1 per cent. So there is low wages growth of 1.9 per cent and the cost of living is 2.1 per cent. It does not take much to do the maths there, does it?

And it comes at a time when this government makes a cruel and senseless attack on workers by cutting the take-home pay of 700,000 Australians. Come 1 July a retail worker earning $60,000 a year could have their pay cut by up to $77 a week, thanks to this government's slashing their hard-earned penalty rates. And due to this very careless budget, not only will they get an extra $77 pay cut a week—

Mr Pasin interjecting—

they will get an extra $300 in taxes under your government—under your government! At the very same time as they are getting slugged an extra $300 a week, a millionaire will be getting a tax cut of $16,400.

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