Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

After a decade left behind, young people are back at the centre of our government. We are focused on enabling young people to not just get by but get ahead. The negative nellies—and they're all on that side—want to pit one generation against the other, but that is not the answer. Of the 1.5 million 18- to 24-year-olds, 98 per cent will be getting an average tax cut on 1 July of just over $1,000. Many of these young people would have received—what?—absolutely nothing under the Liberals. There are many families in Higgins in which adults will be getting a little less, but their sons, daughters, nieces and nephews will pocket more. If that's not the intergenerational dividend, then I don't know what is.

But it's not enough to earn more. We want young people to keep more too. That's where plugging the leaks in job contracts kicks in. Strong workplace laws protect your take-home pay and your wellbeing. Young people are vulnerable to precarity but also to exploitation. That's why we've criminalised wage theft, made bargaining easy, banned wage secrecy and put a positive duty on workplaces to stamp out sexual harassment. That stuff is toxic, especially when you're young. From climate to skills, university reform and housing, we have young people front of mind to ensure they achieve financial security. The aspiration of every Australian is financial security; it is not the monopoly of a few.

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