Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

And some aspiration on top of that! I note that the member for Rankin has left the chamber, but I would like to congratulate him for his contribution. He actually could describe what an aspiration was. He knew what it was and he could explain it. I thought it was a very good explanation, unlike the member for Sydney's earlier in the day, who went with the INXS song 'Mystify'! I think it's a very difficult proposition to put forward for some.

We are here to talk about working-class and middle-class Australians. I haven't heard a lot of contributions from the other side that have actually focused on those people we are here to represent. It is about them, and there are many of them in my electorate. In fact, in my electorate, the per capita annual income is just $34,000 a year. That is not a substantial amount of money, but they manage to make do. They manage to put their kids through school; they manage to do all the things that normal families would do. What are we doing for them? That is our job as the government. We are here to encourage them and provide them with opportunities. We're going to provide them with tax relief. In my electorate, almost 49,000 individual taxpayers will benefit from the low- and middle-income tax relief that will occur in 2019 if, of course, we can get it through the Senate.

I note the contribution from the member for McMahon. The Labor Party are making threats about what will and what won't pass the Senate. I notice he didn't mention that in the House of Representatives they supported the bill. It went through the House, it went to the Senate and they've changed their mind. So, in this instance, who do you trust? It's clearly not those opposite. It is clearly not the Labor Party. People in my electorate want tax relief. They want us to continue to build the economy. They want us to continue to provide opportunities for them. Those are the almost 49,000 taxpaying individuals in my electorate. I'll give you some examples. If you're a high school teacher on $75,000 a year in my electorate, you'll have an extra $530 in your pocket in 2019. Five hundred and thirty dollars is a significant contribution in an area where the per capita annual income is just $34,000. If you're a shop assistant on $45,000 in my electorate, you'll have an extra $440 in your pocket from the budget year of 2019 onwards. That is a substantial increase. Whether you're an apprentice, a hairdresser, an accountant or a takeaway food operator, there are opportunities for you. It is your hard-earned cash that we are trying to inject back into your pocket.

What's the alternative? What's been put forward by those opposite is an additional $200 billion in taxes. No matter what they say, they're not Robin Hood: they are not robbing from the rich to give to the poor; they have their hands in your pocket through their retiree tax, their housing tax, their investment tax, their tax return tax, their higher income tax, their family business tax and their savings tax. We can go on. Who can forget the tradies tax. All of these are about taking more money from hardworking people in low- and middle-income areas.

We heard the contribution from the member for Calare. He spoke about the impact that this would have on self-funded retirees, pensioners and those who have put away a little bit of money. The proposal to take away imputation credits is wrong. If you are earning money through shares in a company, that company has paid tax on your behalf at a particular rate. If that rate is not what you would usually pay when it comes to tax time, like every other Australian in this country who pays tax you can put forward what your actual rate is and it is adjusted. Sometimes you pay a bill, Mr Deputy Speaker Hogan, as you may have. On other occasions, people may get a return, and I think that's great for them. In my electorate, we are doing everything we possibly can to provide more opportunities for those in the low- and middle-income area, and that includes developing local infrastructure.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I'm sure you saw the announcement on the Bruce Highway: the Cooroy to Curra section, section D, the final piece of the puzzle—an $800 million contribution from the federal government to complete that section of the Bruce Highway. Once again, I congratulate the member for Wide Bay on his sterling lobbying work. This will make a substantial difference to all of the people in both of our electorates because our people drive on that highway. We know how dangerous it is. It will make a real difference to the people who are working in, living in, retiring in or travelling to the capital cities for any reason. I certainly look forward to that work commencing. The state government is making a lot of noise up there through the member for Maryborough, who, I must say, is wrong, because we are ready to commence that work when the state government hits the 'go' button.

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