Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, like my colleagues, rise to speak in this debate of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan No. 2) Bill 2017. Just in case I don't get to it, I should declare from the outset that we will oppose this bill. We will do this on the basis that this bill stands as a savage attack by this government on Australian families and their households.

I've spoken on many occasions about my electorate. My electorate is the most multicultural electorate in the country. It's very colourful, very diverse and one that lives in harmony. I have the lion's share of refugees coming into the country. I get to see their aims and their dreams for their families, particularly their children. By the way, that's why education is so significant in my community. But my community is not a rich community. It has many, many social challenges. Issues of housing are certainly impacting on my community. The average household income in my community is under $60,000 a year. So, as I say, it is not a rich community. I believe that what the government proposes in this piece of legislation is only going to exacerbate the emerging inequities that we are seeing in our communities. And that's not just my community. I think if you took a broad snapshot of all those represented in this place, they would find that they, too, are presiding over an emerging position where, regrettably, we are moving to increase the level of inequity applying in our communities. We're told this is all about budget repair. Clearly, budgets need to be addressed, and my friend—what's your seat, Graham?

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