Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the last day before the winter parliamentary recess, and you can imagine the conversations going on on the other side of the chamber. 'Where are you going on your European holiday? Lake Como, the South of France or maybe Wimbledon for some Pimm's and Devonshire tea.' And then the Prime Minister comes into the conversation and trumps them all. He says: 'Colleagues, guess what I am doing on the winter recess? On 1 July, I am giving millionaires a $16,000 tax cut.' They say, 'Oh, pip, pip!' He says: 'It gets better, colleagues. I am then going to cut the wages of 700,000 Australians.' They say, 'Tally-ho!'

It sounds like a caricature because it is. It sounds like class warfare because it is. The Reserve Bank governor says that wage growth in this country is at crisis point. The response of those opposite is to cut wages.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear those opposite interjecting. If you do not like it—if you do not like the way it sounds or the way it looks—do something about it. Time is running out. You can stop this pay cut to 700,000 Australians. You can stop this pay cut for hospitality workers and for retail workers—for hardworking Australians who just want reward for their effort, who cannot hire an accountant to fix the rules of the game in their favour and who turn up every day trying to make their life better, make life for their family better and make this country better.

Those opposite ought to be ashamed. If they want to be able to look at their constituents in the winter recess, they should act now. (Time expired)