Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. How will the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts support workers who deliver essential support services in the community?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Reid for her question. We visited some such workers just last week in her electorate, and I thank her for sticking up for the workers in her electorate and right across Australia.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering a tax cut for every taxpayer, which will divide meaningful cost-of-living relief for middle Australia on 1 July this year. Under Labor's tax plan the average Australian worker will get more than double the tax cut they would have received under the previous government's plan. This means workers will have more money in their pocket on 1 July. Indeed, 84 per cent of taxpayers will now receive a bigger tax cut.

Some of the workers who will keep more of what they earn because of Labor's tax plan are our social and community service workers. These workers are often the first port of call providing support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The support provided by these workers touches the lives of those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and hardship. These are the workers that are delivering our government's escaping violence program, working day in and out facilitating financial assistance and providing confidential support for people who have recently left a violent intimate partner. These caseworkers deserve to keep more of what they earn. These workers earn approximately $88,000 a year, and under Labor they will receive a tax cut of $1,879. That's $800 more than they would have otherwise received.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to supporting our community sector workers. This has been evidenced not just by the bigger, better tax cuts but by our decision to increase indexation and supplementation payments to more than 700 community organisations. These payments are critical to ensure that community service workers get the wage increases they are entitled to. It is clear from our actions that our government want workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

Those opposite want people to work longer for less, and nothing demonstrates this more clearly than their vocal opposition to our bigger, better tax cuts. Of course, the opposition have called our tax cuts Marxist and an electoral scam. They have made their intention clear in the Senate.

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

The minister will pause. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: it was in fact a commendably tightly drafted question. There is no basis for the minister to be getting into the territory she's now getting into.

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

I ask the minister to return to her answer.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government is putting the tax cuts through the Senate now. Those opposite should not play petty politics. Get out of the way. Support our tax cuts. Support middle Australia. This government will, while you do not.