Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

That was a load of nonsense because the reality is, Mr Deputy Speaker, if you want to talk about deals, let's talk about the Prime Minister. The bankers' friend has managed to negotiate a $65 billion gift to big business in this country at the same time as cutting $22 billion to schools over the next 10 years. Again, $65 billion to big business and a $22 billion cut to schools in this country. That is the position and that is the plan of the Prime Minister and this government. That is why Labor will stand up for the kids of those schools and the workers in workplaces who are going to also receive on 1 July, in nine days time, a pay cut. Up to 700,000 workers in this country—retail workers, hospitality workers and those who work in pharmacies and fast food outlets—are going to receive real pay cuts as a result of the government refusing to actually respond to the concerns of Labor to quash the order of the commission and ensure that those wages do not go down.

This government has chosen to turn its back on 700,000 workers whilst giving tax breaks to millionaires and $65 billion to big business. In fact, if you look at the tax cuts, Deputy Speaker, they are quite interesting. Everybody under $87,000 does not get a tax cut. Indeed, the same people that will be subject to a pay cut as a result of the penalty rate decision the government refuses to respond to will of course not be receiving a tax cut. Yet those that earn $1 million a year will receive a $16,400 tax cut courtesy of the Prime Minister and this government.

As the shadow Treasurer, the member for McMahon, said earlier in this debate, wage growth is at an all-time low. In fact, we have been collecting data and in the last 20 years there has never been so little growth in wages. We are seeing, effectively, a wage recession in most parts of the labour market. It is exactly the wrong time to be cutting wages, if there is ever any good time to do so—of course, there is not. To combine the pay cuts because of the penalty rates decision with a decision to increase taxes on those workers on under $87,000 is just madness unless you have a callous disregard for these people and unless you have an indifference towards these workers. The Prime Minister and the government have shown time and time again that they have a disregard for the people who built this country—those workers in the workplaces across the land who are going to get a tax increase and a pay cut on the same day, courtesy of the Turnbull government. That is the reality as a result of the decisions taken by this government. That is an absolute outrage.

I have to say: is it any wonder? We have had the Prime Minister seeking to emote. He is now using the word 'fairness' more often. He tends to use the word 'fairness'. He has gone to a focus group and has realised the word 'fairness' helps and thought: 'We should say it a few times. We should say it in the budget speech. I should say it when I get up.' But the reality is that he does not believe in fairness. In fact, he is also trying to revise his personal history. He tries to make people believe that he struggled financially. The Prime Minister wants us to believe that he struggled financially. I do not mind him making money, but let's be honest: it is easier to make money from money. That is what the Prime Minister has done. He likes to pretend he has struggled and he likes to create this log cabin story about his past, but we know those logs were made from bars of gold. He has never struggled in his life. He has no empathy at all for those workers. He has no understanding that, if you cut even as little as $50 a week from a household budget, that makes it difficult for thousands and thousands of families in every electorate of every member in this place. That is the result of the combined effect of cutting the pay of those workers and increasing taxes on workers below $87,000 a year. That is a deliberate attempt by this government to make those who cannot afford it pay for the tax cut to billionaires and millionaires. That is the reality, and this government has to reconsider this position, because it is unfair and it is intrinsically against what Australian values are about. Indeed, they should come in here, support Labor's bill and support workers on penalty rates.

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