Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On budget night we heard the Treasurer ask what those opposite had achieved. I thought I would spend a bit of time today talking about what they've achieved. Well, they've managed to give themselves, and everyone else who earns over $200,000, a $7,000 tax cut. They have managed an economy for record low wages growth and record high corporate profits. They have cost-shifted to the states in health and education. They have managed to get an increase in the cost of early education and child care—they did that overnight, which was pretty good.

What haven't they achieved? They have achieved nothing in housing affordability. They've done nothing about power prices in this country. In fact, they're so busy fighting one another about power prices that they haven't even started a conversation yet about what to do. Their cruellest achievement starts on Sunday. What have they achieved? They have managed to take $77 a week out of the pockets of people who rely on penalty rates—17,000 people in my electorate. That is what they have achieved. They managed to walk in here eight times and not protect those workers. They have managed to walk in here eight times and achieve absolutely nothing for the lowest paid workers in this country. That is what this government stands for. They stand for themselves. They don't stand for the people of Australia.