Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the members opposite mentions company tax cuts. They supported them when they were in government, and now they come in here and they don't support them. We saw the best job figures in 25 years last week. Those figures show that more people have got into work, and it shows that our plan for jobs and growth is working. But I'm getting off topic.

The members opposite, especially the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, racked up all this debt. The Deputy Leader has done nothing with her Senate colleagues to help get the deficit down. Now she comes in here and says, 'You guys have increased it.' Well, of course we increased it—we only got 29 out of 76 senators. It's very hard to get things through if you only have 29 out of 76 senators. The opposition is totally irresponsible when it comes to this nation's finances. They should be supporting the government with a lot of the issues that we took to the election. They couldn't even come in here and vote for their own savings that they banked at the last election, for goodness' sake!

This insurance scheme gives Australians peace of mind. It gives those Australians that most need it, those with a disability, certainty that it will be funded into the future. We know that those opposite have come to this position of not supporting it, but there are many that would have, from what I understand—the member for Jagajaga and others. But, no, they decided, 'No, let's be obstructionist.' Of all the things that the Australian people hate about parliaments, one is that there is not enough bipartisan support. Once again we see the Labor Party, on this important issue, not supporting the government to make sure that the scheme is fully funded.

Recently I hosted the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, the member for Ryan, in my electorate for a chat with mums and dads of particularly those people who have a disability, people from the Woody Point Special School and also other people with disability and kids with special needs in the electorate. We spoke about how this scheme will benefit them, and they raised many concerns about the current system and the lack of support they currently receive. One of the main issues raised was after-school care and holiday care. It was very difficult for them to access these programs with only one special school in that local area. I've got three special schools in my electorate.

Now, with the NDIS, individuals will have the opportunity to access services that were not possible before. Small businesses will be created as the needs for services can be catered for. People will be listened to, and they'll be able to create their own plan, not being told, 'This is what you can and can't access.' It's meant to give these families choice. In my electorate of Petrie I met with families who would greatly benefit from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

For those who are unaware of exactly what the NDIS aims to do, we know that it gives people a choice so that those people with a disability are able to choose how they best spend that support that comes from government for them in their own lives. The scheme will transform the lives of around 460,000 Australians who are living with a disability, and the lives of their families. For those Australians who may one day need access to it: it will be there for you.

Those who earn more, currently, under this bill, will pay more. Someone earning $200,000 a year will pay $1,000 additional funding. Someone that's earning $40,000 a year will pay half a per cent of that. It's a couple of hundred dollars. I think that many Australians want to support people with a disability. They actually want to be part of supporting this National Disability Insurance Scheme. The members opposite don't want to give them that opportunity. They did when they were in government, but they don't now. They want to say, 'No, no, you don't need to be part of this.'

We know that low-income earners will continue to receive relief from the Medicare levy through the low-income thresholds for singles, families, seniors and pensioners. The current exemptions from the Medicare levy will remain in place. Through our proposed changes to the Medicare levy, low-income earners will actually be better off. A single person earning $26,000 will pay $435 as opposed to $467, saving them $32 a year. I question the member for McMahon: have you read that? Earlier today, he stated that everyone earning over $21,000 would be worse off. But it shows that people earning under $26,000 will actually be better off. For everyone above that, yes, they'll pay a little bit more, but it will make sure that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is fully funded.

What we see from the Labor Party is a continual attack on medium-income earners and high-income earners, as though they do not pay enough. But, the way our tax system works and the way the Medicare levy currently works, those people that earn more currently pay more, and it is the same with this bill that we're debating here before the House. Under this bill, high-income earners will pay more. As I said before, if you earn $200,000, there'll be an additional $1,000 that is paid. If you earn an additional $30,000, it will be a lot less. That's fair. Everyone gets to contribute. Everyone will get to contribute, to make sure that those people with a disability can rest assured that this will be fully funded, not just now or in three years time but in 10 and 20 years time for future generations of Australians with a disability.

But, no, Labor wants to play politics with this—the politics of envy. They want to make sure that those people who have a disability or those people who are on a low income grit their teeth and say: 'It's all the rich's fault. It's all the high-income earners. They're not paying not enough tax.' People on over $180,000 a year currently have a 47 per cent tax rate—they pay 47c in every dollar in tax—but under Labor that's not enough. They want to snuff out all opportunities and incentives for people to earn more. They want to raise it to 49c; they want to take half of everything you earn, if you earn over $180,000.

Those people who are wealthy will pay more under our scheme. For those listening, in my first job out of school I was on the minimum wage, earning about $25,000 a year. Those opposite, the Labor Party, think that just because you're on a low-income wage today in the future you'll remain there, and I say to people that it's not true—you can get a higher income and you can achieve your goals. We want to reward effort in this country; the Labor Party want to keep you down. They don't want to reward effort. They don't want to reward incentives for people to work harder. They want to keep you down.

This bill is fair. It makes sure that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is fully funded. It covers the gap that the Gillard and Rudd Labor governments left—the gaping hole in this scheme. They left that gap and now the Labor Party come in here and plays politics. I say shame! Shame on the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and everyone opposite if they vote against this bill.

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