House debates

Thursday, 23 October 2014

Statements by Members

Budget

1:33 pm

Photo of Andrew GilesAndrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

This government, through this budget, is seeking to entrench a deep division in Australian society—in Australia and between Australians. This budget, in essence, is a road map towards a less equal Australia. People in Scullin are saying that they want a fair go. This is not a plea for special treatment—in fact, far from it. The stark divide demonstrated by the NATSEM modelling, referred to by my friend the member for Chifley a moment ago, shows that this Sheriff of Nottingham government is compounding disadvantage wherever it finds it. Elsewhere in the world, governments are tackling inequality; here, these guys are the biggest fans of inequality—they are boosting it.

The modelling shows that families in the electorate of Scullin will be around $676 a year worse off. And it gets worse. From 2017-18, low-income families will be, on average, $2,700 worse off. But this is not just about numbers; it is about families in Scullin feeling the impact of drastically curtailed day-to-day choices. This budget makes for a more limited, less hopeful world, and a less hopeful future for the children in these families.

Let's compare that to the negligible impact in seats like Warringah and Wentworth. This is political in the most naked sense, as well as ideological. It is asking those with the least to do the most. This budget has defined current politics in Australia, but people in Scullin should know that Labor members will not allow the budget to confine the future of people in Scullin.