Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to be able to get the opportunity to speak on this, because of course the Liberal Party gagged the debate on this really important issue. It is disappointing that I have not heard from any of those on the other side give any commitment to the principle that the Australian people own the minerals in the ground. They have failed in this debate to ever mention the fact that these minerals are owned by the Australian people and that dividends from these minerals should go back to the Australian people. It is very concerning to see the priorities of this government, the priorities that say, 'Give the money back to the mining companies; give the money back to those who can most afford it and take it from those who can least afford it'.

I was somewhat surprised when the Prime Minister got up in question time, I think it was yesterday, and said he was a good friend of the worker. I could not think of a statement that was more ironic—I took it as irony—because we now see this bill before the House that is abolishing so many things that are important to low-paid workers, and in particular the low-income superannuation contribution.

Who would have thought it would be the Liberal Party that would be putting tax back on? They talk a lot about tax, but what they are doing by abolishing the low-income superannuation contribution is putting a tax back on our lowest paid workers. Many of these workers are in my electorate—in fact there are 25,300 of them in my electorate who are going to have a 15 per cent tax put back on. These people work very hard. Many of them are working as sales assistants, checkout operators and cleaners. They are people who are working hard and they are putting money away for their retirement. But what do the Liberal Party want to do? They want to come and snatch 15 per cent of that back. They want to snatch it back and ensure that low-income workers have less money to retire on, less money to make ends meet when they finally retire.

But it does not stop there. Those opposite are delaying the increase of nine per cent to 12 per cent superannuation. They are delaying an important part of our policy, which was to ensure that people retired on an adequate income. Of course the Liberal Party have never been a friend of superannuation. They have never liked superannuation. That is why we see—

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