Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This motion is a desperate attempt from those opposite to distract from the fact that they know that this plan is a much better plan for every Australian taxpayer. What a rubbish motion! They didn't have a plan when Sussan Ley went on TV and said that they will roll these changes back, making 11.5 million Australians pay more tax. It's ironic that the coalition want to accuse us on this side of lies, when I clearly remember the national embarrassment that I and other Australians felt when the French President made global headlines for calling Scott Morrison a you-know-what. 'I don't think—I know' that those opposite can't be trusted to deliver for hardworking Australians, and Australians know that too. It's shameful that those opposite would rather play political games in this place instead of wanting to make a meaningful difference for Australians who are doing it tough right now in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

From groceries to rent, prices are going up and families are feeling it. With expenses rising in every line of the household budget, I know that many Victorians are forced to cut back on essentials. The issue is one that spans all corners of our community, with young people and working women amongst the worst impacted. Unlike those opposite, this government wants to deliver targeted relief for Australians when they need it most. Here is what we are doing. From 1 July every Australian will get a tax cut. A barista earning $40,000 a year will get a tax cut of $654, compared to a big fat zero under Morrison's plan. A public school teacher on yearly earnings of $73,000 will get a tax cut of $1,504 under Labor's tax cuts. A hospital nurse on $80,000 each year will take home an extra $1,679 to help make ends meet. And a train driver with an annual salary of $110,000 will get a tax cut of $2,429 starting this July thanks to the Albanese Labor government. Labor's tax cuts will deliver bigger tax cuts for hardworking Australians to help with the cost of living. That means keeping more of what they earn.

Tackling cost of living is Labor's No. 1 priority. The No. 1 priority for those opposite is playing political games. A lot has happened in the five years since Scott Morrison's plan. Scott was so out of touch he failed to name the price of bread or milk. Australians have endured a once-in-100-years pandemic, flooding and natural disasters, supply chain challenges, wars and international conflicts, global oil production costs and higher interest rates. When economic conditions change, responsible governments change their economic policy. It is the grown-up thing to do.

As I listened to Victorians of diverse ages, incomes and backgrounds in my recent travels across my home state it became increasingly clear that Morrison's approach couldn't deliver for Victorians in regional and rural communities. From Maryborough to Yarrawonga Victorians are under pressure right now, and the right thing to do was to change our economic policy to support families from every single community. That is what we are doing. That's why our approach will provide bigger tax cuts for more people.

Labor's tax cuts will deliver for every Australian taxpayer. More than three million Victorians, or 86 per cent of taxpayers, will receive a bigger tax cut under Labor, compared to the Liberal National government's policy. Labor's tax cuts deliver a better deal for 11.5 million Australians. They provide broader cost-of-living relief to taxpayers, including those on lower and middle incomes: young people and Australian women, who are more vulnerable to cost pressures and who were left behind by the opposition.

Labor's tax cut is a part of our economic plan to put money back in the pockets of Australians, along with boosting wages, balancing the budget and driving fairer prices for consumers. Billions of dollars are going to families, including through cheaper child care, incentivising housing supply, energy bill relief and increases to income support payments. When Australians are feeling the pinch, they need and deserve a meaningful tax cut. These changes under the Albanese Labor government will deliver immediate cost-of-living relief up and down the income scale. Those opposite know this is a better plan and that's why they're voting for Labor's tax cuts.