Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make my contribution on this take-note motion, in relation to the wonderful position that the Albanese Labor government has made in relation to the tax cuts. I'm very excited for Australians to be able to see the benefits that will flow on to them and their families. Our plan means that every Australian worker will actually receive a tax cut this year. Every Australian taxpayer that pays tax will receive a tax cut this year. These cuts are designed to provide bigger tax cuts for people in Australia to help with their cost of living while making our tax system fairer. It's a plan for tax relief, and it's a plan for tax reform. Our plan is good for Australians. It's good for women. We heard the statistics earlier, and I'll go through them if I've got enough time at the end. They're good for helping out with cost-of-living pressures, good for labour supply and good for the economy.

Labor's tax cuts will make a real difference to 13.6 million taxpayers, who will benefit by receiving a tax cut on 1 July this year. That is 2.9 million more than would have benefited from Mr Scott Morrison's plan from five years ago. It means that 11.5 million taxpayers—that's 84 per cent of taxpayers—will receive a bigger tax cut than they would have had we not made some adjustments to the tax. It means that 5.8 million women—that's 90 per cent, and I think in her contribution and her answer Senator Gallagher talked about 90 per cent of women taxpayers—will now receive a bigger tax cut. We're talking about nurses, teachers, truckies, factory workers and shop workers. They are the most likely to benefit, with more than 95 per cent of those taxpayers getting a bigger tax cut. Parents, particularly women, with young children will be meaningfully supported to return to work under the government's changes through increases to their take-home pay. Under the proposed changes, taxpayers earning less than $45,000 per annum will now receive a tax cut. This will significantly boost the take-home pay of Australians on modest incomes and people working part-time.

The advice from Treasury has been very clear that our tax cuts will not add to inflationary pressures, because they are broadly revenue neutral. The Albanese Labor government is introducing these changes because it recognises the economic realities of right now in 2024. Australians are under pressure right now, and they deserve a tax plan that responds to the challenges that they are facing. When the coalition's planned stage 3 was legislated five years ago, the world was a very different place before a once-in-100-year pandemic, persistent inflation, higher interest rates, two conflicts and global uncertainty put Australians under more sustained cost-of-living pressure. When the circumstances change, changing policy is actually the responsible thing to do. And we are providing that meaningful cost-of-living relief in a responsible way that doesn't add to inflationary pressures, while laying down the foundations for a stronger and more resilient economy.

My duty electorate of Braddon in the north-west coast of Tasmania will significantly benefit. The workers in that electorate will significantly benefit: 45,000 workers in Braddon alone will be beneficiaries of this tax cut. I spoke to a number of people last week after we had made the position very clear. Some of them were Liberal voters and some were other voters. Some of them were obviously Labor voters. I went to an event on Saturday night where there were over 5,000 people, and I had people talking to me, coming up to me, saying what a great position that was and what a really good thing it was to do in this current climate. I am very proud to stand here as a member of the Anthony Albanese Labor government that has provided this relief for workers in our country.