Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

July is going to be the month that the Albanese Labor government is going to deliver new financial assistance for Australian families that are doing it tough through the cost-of-living crisis that we know they're experiencing. We have listened to them, and we delivered, as of yesterday—and it will come into your next pay packet—the biggest tax cuts that they are going to receive, because of the actions of the Albanese Labor government. Let's not forget that it was those opposite, when they first introduced these tax cuts, who left out a huge chunk of lower-income earners, who would have got absolutely zero. But under this government, we are delivering for 13.6 million Australians, who are all going to benefit from the tax cut.

Let's also not forget that an energy rebate is being delivered—again, by the Albanese Labor government—to help with the cost of energy. And let's not forget, again, that it is those opposite who have voted against every single measure when it comes to helping families deal with the cost of living. They voted against the increase of their tax cut to Australian workers, they voted against the energy bill relief, and they stood against Australian workers—low-income workers—at every opportunity. As we know, and as I've said in this chamber and will continue to say, they have always had a policy to keep Australian workers' wages low. Under our government, as of yesterday, Australian workers on lower incomes are getting their third increase in the last two years, thanks to us. We are giving an energy rebate not just to every household across this country but also to small businesses. We know that those small businesses need that support, as do families.

Yesterday, 1 July, was a very important day, but it doesn't stop there, because we actually believe in superannuation, unlike those opposite, who would allow young people to raid their superannuation to be able to put a roof over their head. We're saying that that superannuation should be there for the end of their working life. That's the difference between us and those opposite.

For whatever reason, Mr Dutton, the leader of the Liberals, has come up with this strategy of nuclear energy and building nuclear reactors around the country, without any costing and without any evidence whatsoever that there is an expert that believes they will deliver cheaper energy to this country. Not only that—it's an ill-founded thought bubble or a mushroom cloud—there's not a financial institution that will finance them. So, what does he intend to do? Put that financial burden onto Australian taxpayers.

We know that, when we came into government two years ago, they left us with a trillion dollar debt. They have been able to create this myth about how they're such good economic managers. The proof is in the pudding, ladies and gentlemen, because we were left with a burden of debt. We've had to clean up their mess. They did nothing at all about ensuring that the NDIS was fit and proper and was working. They failed miserably on aged care and had to call a royal commission into their own failings. So we had a decade of mismanagement and a government that went from one crisis to the other and left us with a mess.

We've come in, we've been cleaning up that mess, we've provided cheaper child care, we're investing in Australian workers, we're investing in skills and we are bringing manufacturing back to Australian shores. We want to make things here in Australia. We want to skill-up our workforce, we want to ensure that child care is affordable for families and we want to give parents choice about when they return to work so we've increased paid parental leave. These are all good things that are going to be there as a very strong foundation for our Australian families. I'm proud of the record of the Albanese Labor government.