Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Everyone agrees that there is a need to help households with the cost of living. For working households there are two key aspects to that: what they earn and how much tax they pay. What's remarkable is that, despite all of the words and rhetoric and bluster of those opposite, they resist helping families on both sides of that equation.

First is the fact that they seem to be all over the shop in relation to whether or not they support millions of low-and middle-income households getting a better deal on taxes. What do they really think? Their deputy leader was crystal clear that she wants to roll them back. Most of the rest of them in speech after speech after speech suggest they might be willing to be dragged kicking and screaming to vote for them but only after trying on a whole range of amendments and after indicating they don't actually support them. All Australian taxpayers should have no confidence that those opposite are voting for them for any other reason than political expediency.

Second is their position when it comes to workers' pay and conditions, and here things are clearer unfortunately. Those opposite have never seen a law or a policy that improves workers' pay and conditions that they don't automatically and viscerally oppose. They like catchphrases like flexibility, productivity, nimbleness and disruption, but, strangely, when those opposite have their hands on the levers, these never turn into dollars in the pay cheque. Every time a low- or middle-income earner gets a pay rise or a bit more in their tax return, they should know that it was despite the concerted efforts of those opposite.

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