Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Reid for her question. We visited some such workers just last week in her electorate, and I thank her for sticking up for the workers in her electorate and right across Australia.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering a tax cut for every taxpayer, which will divide meaningful cost-of-living relief for middle Australia on 1 July this year. Under Labor's tax plan the average Australian worker will get more than double the tax cut they would have received under the previous government's plan. This means workers will have more money in their pocket on 1 July. Indeed, 84 per cent of taxpayers will now receive a bigger tax cut.

Some of the workers who will keep more of what they earn because of Labor's tax plan are our social and community service workers. These workers are often the first port of call providing support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The support provided by these workers touches the lives of those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and hardship. These are the workers that are delivering our government's escaping violence program, working day in and out facilitating financial assistance and providing confidential support for people who have recently left a violent intimate partner. These caseworkers deserve to keep more of what they earn. These workers earn approximately $88,000 a year, and under Labor they will receive a tax cut of $1,879. That's $800 more than they would have otherwise received.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to supporting our community sector workers. This has been evidenced not just by the bigger, better tax cuts but by our decision to increase indexation and supplementation payments to more than 700 community organisations. These payments are critical to ensure that community service workers get the wage increases they are entitled to. It is clear from our actions that our government want workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

Those opposite want people to work longer for less, and nothing demonstrates this more clearly than their vocal opposition to our bigger, better tax cuts. Of course, the opposition have called our tax cuts Marxist and an electoral scam. They have made their intention clear in the Senate.

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