Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a government that is missing in action. They are missing in action on energy policy, on equality, on school funding, on hospital funding and on payday lending. In fact, to date it has now been 1,214 days since the government announced a review into payday lending, but has since let the loan sharks roam free to continue ripping off Australians. One member of the government in particular who has been missing on the issue is the member for Forde. Why do I know this? Because last Friday the state member for Macalister, Melissa McMahon, and I, along with dozens of community members, church leaders and frontline organisations came together at the Eagleby Community Hall in the electorate of the member for Forde to voice their concern at how the loan sharks are ripping off locals. The member for Forde is on the record in the parliament as saying:

What we know for sure is that fast money, like that offered by payday lenders, is almost guaranteed to lead to a debt cycle.

They said they would do something in 2017, and they said they would do something in 2018. Well, there are only days left for this government to be true to its word. They're not focused on the needs of local people and the families that have been crippled by the loan sharks. They're not focused on the day-to-day issues of ordinary Australians. They are focused on each other, on ripping each other apart, worried about their own jobs and not the jobs of Australians. The member for Forde and those opposite need to stop fighting amongst themselves and instead start fighting for those they represent and clamp down on the loan sharks in this country. (Time expired)