Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I regret to inform the House that there is going to be no cheer in the Christmas cracker for over 1.6 million Australian families. Tragically, this includes three million children. The reason for this is that tomorrow the Turnbull Liberal government intends to introduce legislation into the House which is going to savagely cut the family tax benefits for these Australian families.

In my own electorate, there are over 10½ thousand families who are going to be losing their family tax benefit part A, which is around $726 per annum, because the members over there are going to stand up and vote for it.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All of them.

Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All of them are going to stand up and vote for it, and I guarantee that they will not be writing back to their electors saying, 'I stand for this $726 cut to your family tax benefit.'

On top of that, over 9½ thousand families in my electorate are going to have their family tax benefit part B cut to the tune of $354 per annum. This is going to be on top of the increased costs due to the government's plan to jack up the GST by over 50 per cent. This means $4,000 per annum to these households. What is obvious and what all of those opposite are going to be voting for is increased costs to these families. Clearly, there is more folly than holly in the plans for Christmas under these Liberals.