Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

What an extraordinary contribution from Senator Cormann. We had Senator Cormann actually reading out and trying to explain what is in legislation that has not even been presented to this chamber. He was on his feet during a suspension of standing orders trying to inform senators what detail is in the bill because none of us have seen it. That is the ridiculous position that the Senate is placed in this morning. The other comment from Senator Cormann I would pick up on was when he congratulated himself on the cuts to families that are coming, which we have been fighting to several years now, and then warning that there is more to come—warning those families that there is more to come. Watch out; we are coming after you!

We have seen these attacks on the most vulnerable families in Australia before. This is something that has been attempted for the last few years by this government, and we have stood and prevented these changes every step of the way. Now we are seeing this dirty little arrangement—yet another one—where every time this government fails it is straight off to the crossbench to try and stitch up some deal to deliver its agenda: an agenda that hits the poorest, the most vulnerable citizens in this community. The crossbench are the enablers in this. The crossbench are the enablers of this agenda, and we will not let them forget it.

We will stand up and fight against these changes. We will stand up for those families that rely on income support. We will stand up for unemployed people who rely on the community to help them support themselves in finding new jobs. We will look after the young people. We will support new families to spend valuable time with their new babies to allow them to get the best start in life. That is what guides us. They are our values. That is our commitment. We see this government and, in this situation, this crossbench enabling an agenda that attacks every one of those members of our community. We will not allow that to happen, and that is why we will oppose this suspension of standing orders.

We find ourselves standing up here, arguing in the interests of these vulnerable members of our community, while this government supports cuts to penalty rates, while it is pushing forward with its $50 billion cuts to company tax, including $7 billion to the biggest banks in this country. We are meant to cop that kind of economic policy, while, at the same time, we are being asked to have this kind of debate today, without us having seen the legislation, without being given the courtesy, as the house of review, as the chamber that is required and that was formed to be a check on executive power, to scrutinise, to interrogate, to question in depth the policy decisions that lead to legislation that comes to this chamber—all of that is being thrown away.

The Senate will not be allowed to perform its role. It will not be able to do that today because the legislation that we have not even seen will not be able to be reviewed in depth. It will not be able to be examined. Public servants will not be able to be questioned about the underpinnings, the reasons behind those decisions. We will simply sit here and be forced to suffer and accept the deal that has been done by this crossbench, enabling this government's regressive agenda. We will not let the crossbench forget this this abuse of the Senate's role and, more importantly, the abuse of families, low-income Australians that rely on us to stand up for them and ensure that they get a good deal and to ensure that the they are supported.

We are seeing families that will lose $750 a year. I often wonder whether anyone on that side of politics, or even on the crossbench, actually knows what it is like to need this kind of support to get on your feet. I doubt it very much, because, if you did know—if you did have to live week by week, hand to mouth and you were told you had to cop a $750 cut this year—I do not think you would be sitting here smirking about the ramming through of this legislation today.

It will not only be these cuts; it will be the cuts to penalty rates. We will then have to cop the company tax cuts to allow big business to pay less tax, at a time we are telling low-income Australians, 'You've got to tighten your belts and suck it up.' Well, Labor is not going to agree to that, and we will not support this suspension today.