Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Events of the last week have demonstrated quite clearly why the Australian people decided to reject the Liberal-National coalition at the last election. The ordinary working Australians in my electorate of Bonner would be overwhelmed by the apparent positions that the coalition have adopted on the budget that has been put before us by Treasurer Wayne Swan. They portray themselves as great economic managers and as the great protectors of ordinary Australians but if we look at their reaction to this budget we see the remnants of a government that left us with a legacy of far too many interest rises, the highest inflation in 16 years and absolutely no plan or even political will to deal with the skills and infrastructure crises that we face.

They have opposed the government’s Fuelwatch scheme but wish to blow the country’s surplus by introducing a reduction in the fuel excise. A short term gain of 5c a litre is small compensation for the inevitable interest rate rises and inflation increases that would come if they embarked on this $22 billion raid of the surplus. They have definitely nailed their colours to the mast. Their desperate attempts to boost up a failing leader and to deal with a divided party mean that pensioners, seniors, families and those working Australians out there who are just trying to stay ahead financially, are going to have to pay. Their support for luxury cars and their stunt to cut fuel excise will blow the surplus. If they believe this is popular, what are they going to tell all those people doing it tough out there when inflation goes through the roof, when mortgages go up and when inevitably the cost of living rises astronomically? The opposition has no plan for and no means of managing the economy.

Alternatively, if they are going to provide a surplus, who in the electorate of Bonner is going to miss out as a result of their support for luxury car drivers? Who is going to miss out because the opposition leader would rather care for the Ferrari drivers and the Bentley owners of this world? Do I tell the hardworking two-income families that they are going to miss out on their child care tax rebate increase? Do I tell the 12,760 householders in Bonner who are currently renting that the rental affordability scheme has been scrapped? Do I tell all those young people out there who are desperately trying to save for their first home that the first home saver scheme has been scrapped because the member for Wentworth would rather give Rolls Royce drivers a cheaper deal? Do I tell the parents of the 7,698 secondary school students in Bonner that they cannot get their education tax rebate?

The opposition care more about the plight of luxury car owners than they do about the vast number of Australians who have been unfairly slugged with a Medicare surcharge levy for the last 10 years. Apparently, it is okay for someone on $50,000 a year, which is less than the average income, to face a choice between paying more tax or paying private health insurance but it is not okay for someone who can afford a Maserati to pay a little more. Just where do they stand?

We all understand that in opposition you have the luxury of saying what you think is popular without really being held to account. But this opposition have taken that to an absolute extreme. They have wrecked a well-balanced budget that has a healthy surplus that will buffer us against the economic challenges ahead. And they have done it by taking a short-term impractical approach to petrol pricing and by protecting Ferrari-driving millionaires. One might almost call it ruling-class welfare. I know that there is a lot of vote buying going on in the Liberal Party but it is unfair that it is at the expense of those hardworking people out there who are not only trying to make ends meet, educate the next generation and care for their elderly relatives but also going to work every day to provide the goods and services that we need to function as a community. The people of Bonner will see this as an indictment of the opposition. They are reckless spenders without due regard for the hardworking Australians who provide the taxes that they want to so recklessly throw away on their pet issues without caring for the future and without caring about the impact on the economy. (Time expired)

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