Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Analysis in Fairfax newspapers shows that a couple renting, where one partner has left university and the other is still studying, have an effective marginal tax rate of over 97 per cent when their income reaches just $37,000. Why is the Prime Minister outraged about marginal tax rates for millionaires but saying absolutely nothing about families who will pay an effective marginal tax rate of over 97 per cent?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. I understand that she is speaking with respect to a report by the National Foundation for Australian Women that has been reported in the press. The effective marginal tax rate relates to two phenomena that might happen at the same time, or at very similar points in time. When someone's income increases they may face a new tax threshold, or they may face a repayment threshold for something like a HECS debt. Or, indeed, as their income increases they may also face the withdrawal of a benefit of some type inside the welfare system.

It is obviously the case that even with high effective marginal tax rates, which very much existed under the system that we inherited from members opposite and are very much to do with many of the complications in the welfare system, it is always desirable that people are substituting income earned through employment in preference to income earned through welfare benefits.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide on a point of order?

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on direct relevance. The minister is answering yesterday's question—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. The member for Adelaide will resume her seat—

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will resume her seat!

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will resume her seat! The member for Adelaide will leave under 94(a)! I am not going to have members ignore me. I have made the point as clearly as I can. You are all very smart. I made the point. I asked her three times to resume her seat.

The member for Adelaide then left the chamber.

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member did refer to Mr Plunkett, and there is also a Mr Jericho. The NFAW's report, which was also cited yesterday by members opposite in parliament, is based on research from those two individuals.

I am informed that the NFAW's statement that graduates earning $51,000, most of whom are likely to be women, will have less disposable income than someone earning $32,000 appears to assume that there are changes to rental assistance in the budget. That is not the case.

I am also further informed by advice from my department that the statement from the NFAW, based on the research that members opposite cite—the statement that graduates earning $51,000, most of whom are likely to be women, will have less disposable income than someone earning $32,000—is incorrect and very misleading.