Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While chaos, division and dysfunction reigns in a government that doesn't even know what it stands for, 650,000 Australians continue to be ripped off every day by payday loan sharks. Despite what the temporary Prime Minister might say, the muppet show is well and truly continuing for those opposite as it is for everyday Australians who are paying the price. Today, it is exactly 1,131 days since those opposite acknowledged there was a problem and promised to do something about these loan sharks. Since then, what have they done? Nothing. Now we have the alleged 'chief of the unofficial friends of payday lending' with carriage of this vital issue, the member for Fadden, who is the fourth government member to sit on their hands and do nothing with this out-of-control industry. This is a previously sacked minister who was so out of touch with the community that he has called for billionaires to get a GST exemption for bringing luxury super-yachts to Australia. This is absolutely staggering. The minister should take some time to read up on the facts and the damage being done to Australians through the out-of-control payday loans sector. We know that 1.8 million Australians are now financially distressed, a number which has almost doubled under this government's watch. Inequality is at an all-time high with stagnating wages and people struggling to get by. This has resulted in 650,000 Australian households turning to payday loans. When will this out-of-touch government stop the muppet show and get on and start delivering for Australians?