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

He says it's an overstatement. I won't be distracted by the interjections. I know that when he wrote to me and said, 'Legislation will be brought before this House'—two weeks later he was rolled for the current Prime Minister.

The consumers that I represent—and my electorate has some of the highest payday lender rip-offs of any electorate in Australia. I want to make it clear: this is an issue that welfare agencies, churches and consumer advocates all across Australia are calling for action on. There is no reason for this government not to take action, apart from the fact that the payday lenders themselves are placing enormous pressure on this government not to take action. I will keep calling out their behaviour. I will keep calling out the fact that Australians are being ripped off. They don't like it when I say that. They write to me. They send me emails. They will even meet with me and say, 'If these reforms are passed, we don't care; they're not going to do anything.' Why do they care about them then? What's the big deal?

We know the recommendations on small amount credit leasing, which the government have been sitting on for over four years now, demonstrate that they can take action. The government brought in legislation; they did a draft exposure. They brought it in. Minister McCormack, who was the small business minister and is now the Deputy Prime Minister—I've had private conversations with members from the National Party as well, who have come up to me and go, 'Keep going with it; we really want to do it.' (Time expired)

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