Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure there is much of a question from Senator Bernardi but more another ideological rave. The facts are that this government has worked very hard to address cost of living issues for the Australian people. We have had three sets of tax cuts. In each of the budgets we have provided significant tax cuts for working families. People on average incomes have benefited from very major tax cuts that have been implemented by this government providing direct help to middle-class families by ensuring that they pay less tax.

We have also made a very serious contribution to people’s standard of living by abolishing Work Choices and by ensuring that people have security of employment, access to fair industrial relations and fair reward for their work. We have also ensured that Australians have still got jobs. When we faced the global financial crisis, when you in the opposition said, ‘Do nothing,’ we invested heavily in a stimulus package that ensured that Australians kept working and that Australians still had jobs. That is now reflected in very good employment figures.