David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Right across this country, people are skipping going to the doctor because they can't afford the co-payment. They're literally not going to the dentist because they're frightened about the bills, struggling to put good food on the table after paying the last two, which are literally smashing their bank accounts. Rent is going up $100 at a time, and people are leaving the places they love because they can't afford to live there.

It's not a coincidence that that's happening while the rich are getting richer. Their wealth isn't just growing; for billionaires it's skyrocketing. Last year alone, Australian billionaires pocketed an extra $28 billion. That's $3.2 million an hour to all of them or each of them getting $67,000 an hour every hour for the entire year. The richest are hoarding wealth, influence and power while everyday people are told to tighten their belts. We have fossil fuel magnates who take in ever more public money while telling young people that they've got to stop eating avocados to be able to afford a house. People won't be able to afford a house unless something serious changes. Politicians often talk big in this place, but they act small. They fight over crumbs while their billionaire donors feast, and they're selling ordinary Australians out.

The answer isn't more excuses or empty promises. It's simple: tax billionaires and fund a decent life for everyone. Tax them. That means real investment in things that will make a difference, like getting mental health and dental into Medicare and making it free to see the GP. It means cutting off the handouts for the ultrarich. Billionaires didn't get there by working a million times harder than the rest of us; they got there because the system is rigged, and it's time to unrig it. It's time to tax billionaires back to earth.