Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've had a number of Longman constituents contact me in despair when they completed their tax returns recently. The despair comes from the fact that they found then that the tax offset that gave low- to medium-income earners an extra $1,500 in their tax return, brought in by the previous coalition government, had been scrapped by this federal Labor government. At a time when interest rates have risen 12 times in 15 months, rents have skyrocketed, people are getting less in their trolleys at the grocery store, and, of course, electricity and gas bills have increased dramatically, who would take away assistance like this for Australians on low incomes? I'll tell you who: this Labor government. The Treasurer himself keeps stating, 'We know Australians are under the pump financially.' The question is: if you know that Australians are under the pump financially, why would you take away cost-of-living relief like this? It makes no sense.

People are also asking me why there is $360 million being spent on a referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament that could be used instead for cost-of-living relief. It is a fair question. This is just another example of who the true party of the Australian battler is, the coalition, because actions speak louder than words. I say to this government: do the right thing and reintroduce this for next year.

I take the interjection that Josh Frydenberg got rid of it. You would have said it was hubris and that we were arrogant if we continued it on past last year, so make up your mind.