Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I want to make it abundantly clear that the Labor Party in the House of Representatives will do nothing that prevents the passage of this legislation, which allows for much-needed support to go into the communities around Australia which desperately need it as a consequence of these lockdowns made necessary by the Prime Minister's failures on vaccines and quarantine. I also want to say that the amendment proposed and passed in the Senate, and supported by the member for Melbourne as well, is a good amendment. It's an amendment that goes to transparency. This government has got a problem with transparency and with making sure the money it announces finds its way to the right place and isn't wasted and isn't sprayed around. This is the most wasteful government since Federation. So, where there's an opportunity for more transparency, there should be more transparency.

Every single taxpayer dollar is precious. There's already a trillion dollars of debt. We want to make sure that, where money goes to people and businesses that need and deserve it, it is spent effectively. So I implore the government to pick up and run with the suggestion put forward in good faith and passed through the Senate, and supported by us there, which goes to more transparency. We will do nothing that prevents that support going out into communities but the government should be looking at ways to make sure we avoid the situation we have seen with other payments, so that we shine a light to make sure it's going to the right places.

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