Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I will take the interjection. The Leader of the Nationals in the Senate says, 'Have you got spies in there?' I do not need spies to tell me that you are not talking about it or, if you are, you are pretty ineffective. It is quite clear that the policy that you are supporting, which has gone through your party room and cabinet, hits the people who voted you here, the people you are here to represent, more than anybody else—in fact even more than Labor voters. That is the reality.

We are voting for the removal of a tax break that gives low-income earners just some semblance of concessionality in the face of very substantial concessionality for superannuation contributions of high-income earners. Who would have thought that in fact the Labor Party, the Greens and the Democratic Labor Party would be standing up for rural and regional Australia so much more than the National Party when it comes to superannuation and retirement incomes? What is the phrase—'Lions in the bush and lambs in Canberra'? I think that is pretty apposite here. We have a lot of roaring out there. You see that in the FOFA amendments. You see that in Senator Williams talking big. You see that in National Party senators telling everybody how much they are here to represent the bush. Meanwhile they are backing in the Liberals with policies that do over regional and rural Australia. There is no other way to explain it and there is nothing to justify it.

Senator Scullion interjecting—

I welcome the interjections. If you are so clear that this budget is good for rural and regional Australia, why don't you stand up and speak on it? This is a tax hike on low-income earners. So why don't you say to 3.6 million Australians, many of whom might have voted for you, 'I think you should have a tax hike, but I think we should absolutely protect all the tax concessions that high-income earners in this country get when it comes to superannuation. That is the National Party position.' Explain to them why that is good, why that is the right position, and why it will help them to save for their retirement and be less dependent on the age pension as your Treasurer demands. He is very quiet now.

Government senators interjecting—

'Out of respect'! Thank you. I am not sure that you even got called, that is how gentle your interjections were.