Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

():  Again we have those opposite talking about cost of living. Included in the MPI, of course, is wages. As has been said, they clearly want to turn around and say that this is about getting real change, but what they're about is making sure that they just join in a class war with the Minerals Council of Australia. They want to turn around and jump in with people that spent $24 million to make sure that the Australian public, the Australian community, has no further wage increases of any real nature. That's what they've been about all the way through whilst they've been in opposition. They opposed a dollar-an-hour minimum wage increase for the lowest-paid workers. They opposed a 5.4 per cent increase for minimum-paid workers. They opposed aged-care workers getting better wages, because it's just part of their class war. They can't help themselves.

Why do I say it's a class war? Because the Australian public says to those across the way very clearly what they expect of them. There was a recent survey that came out today. I suggest they read it. Essential Research says that, despite millions of dollars of advertising by big business lobbies supporting the oppositions position of a class war, the vast majority of the public—64 per cent—believe that big business has too much power. So here they are, spending tens of millions of dollars to suppress wages across the economy. At the same time, they're turning around and bankrolling and astroturfing the entire Australian economy, turning around and making sure that the National Farmers Federation, ACCI, AIG—all these people they're funding, because they're on the side of big business.

Roy Hill published just today as part of answers—partly answered, not fully answered questions that were put as a result of the inquiry into the closing the loopholes legislation. They said today, 'We will continue to do all we can to have this bill voted down by parliament,' because you're on the side of the most powerful people, the billionaires in this country, rather than hardworking Australians who are trying to get a decent living.