Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government responding to the economic times and delivering better tax cuts to support those living in my community and across all of regional Australia?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank very much the member for Bendigo for her question. The member, of course, is correct: the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts are good news for Australian taxpayers living in the regions, and that of course includes the 66,000 taxpayers living in the member's electorate of Bendigo, who will receive an average tax cut of over $1,424 from 1 July. It's a similar story all across regional Australia: ninety per cent of regional taxpayers are getting a bigger tax cut under Labor's plans.

Labor's tax cuts are good for taxpayers all across the country, but they are particularly important for those of us who live in the regions. Regional Australians know that our tax cut is a better plan for regional taxpayers. The only people who don't actually get that are sitting opposite me here. We recognise that a lot of people are doing it tough and taxpayers need relief. That relief is exactly what our bigger tax cuts for middle Australia will help to deliver.

We do know that, when asked if the opposition would roll back Labor's tax cuts, we had the Deputy Leader of the Opposition saying, 'Well, this is our position. This is absolutely our position.' This is funny little thing called TV—

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

Order! The Minister needs to be heard in silence. There is far too much noise from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. I'm going to reset and make sure the minister can be heard.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition said, 'This is absolutely our position.' There's this funny thing called 'TV' that captures that, so there you go! That is what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition believes, that our tax cuts should be rolled back for middle Australia—particularly for those in the regions, who would actually be left behind. She has nailed the opposition's colours to the mast and now regional Australians know that, deep down, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition—a so-called representative of regional Australia—doesn't think our regions deserve a better tax cut.

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition can stand up for whatever she wants, but on this side we're going to stand up for taxpayers in regional Australia. We're standing with the 76,000 taxpayers in Farrer who are getting an 87 per cent bigger tax cut under Labor. We're standing up for the nurse in Albury who is earning $73,000 and who will receive a tax cut of $1,504—$804 more than they would have received under the plan of those opposite. We're standing up for the Woolies worker in Tamworth who is earning $40,000 and who will receive a tax cut of $654, but zero under the plan of those opposite. These are the nurses, teachers, retail workers, casual workers, labourers, truckies, council workers and agricultural workers—the backbone of regional Australia—who those opposite like to pretend they care about. When the rubber really hits the road, they don't care about them at all!