Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

LAXALE () (): My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood Education. How will the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts help workers in female-dominated industries like the highly skilled early childhood education sector?

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bennelong, who continues to make such a valued contribution in this place that I'm sure the people of Bennelong appreciate. The 92,000 taxpayers in Bennelong also appreciate the Albanese government's tax cuts which will see them get an average of $1,782 in tax cuts with the Labor government's plan.

Hardworking Australians are under pressure right now, and that's why we're delivering tax cuts for every Australian to help with the cost of living and alleviate some of that pressure. Labor's tax cuts come on top of billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief, including our cheaper childcare reforms, which the recent ACCC review confirms decreased out-of-pocket expenses by 11 per cent on average. Tax cuts are good for middle Australia, they're good for women, and they're good for the economy. They are what the Treasurer calls a better way—a better way that sees working women in Australia get, on average, a tax cut of $1,649 a year; a better way that sees hardworking early childhood educators on $46,000 a year getting a tax cut of $829.

Under the previous plan, how much do you think an early childhood educator got in a tax cut? Zero—not a dollar, not a cent. Under Labor's plan, an early childhood teacher who earns $69,000 a year—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister will cease interjecting.

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a will receive an additional $1,404 as a tax cut. How much do you think an early childhood teacher got under the previous plan? Nothing—not a dollar, not a cent. That has gone from zero to over $1,000 of tax cuts for early childhood educators and early childhood teachers under Labor's plan.

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet some of those hardworking early childhood educators: Caro, who had been in the industry for 45 years, and Tennille, who was only just starting out in her career. Those two early childhood educators—one who had spent decades devoting her life to early childhood education, and one who had chosen to start her career as an early childhood educator—told me what these tax cuts mean for them. They mean food on the table, petrol in their car and paying their car insurance. I don't want to take that away from them, and I challenge those opposite (Time expired)