Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers to questions put to Senator Cormann around the fuel tax. Instead of publicly defending their objective, stating their case, fighting and arguing the objective to increase fuel tax in the parliament, the government took the sneaky, backdoor approach and used a customs tariff to increase fuel costs at the petrol bowser for all Australians. The Abbott government are so afraid to debate this mean new tax in the parliament that they just went behind the backs of every Australian to sneak this measure through the backdoor. And who could forget the classic clanger from Australia's Treasurer, Joe Hockey? Who could forget when he showed just how out of touch he is—and indeed, the whole of the Abbott government are—when he said, 'The poorest Australians do not have cars or, in many cases, actually do not drive very far.' Wrong! In fact, if any government members, including Mr Hockey, bothered to meet with low-income earners—the ones Mr Hockey said do not have cars or do not drive cars—they would find that they cannot actually afford to fill their cars with petrol. That is the truth. On their meagre budgets they put just enough fuel in their cars to get to and from work and to undertake other important or necessary family functions—just enough fuel to get by on. Now, through the Abbott government's sneaky move, these Australians will have extra pressure on their family budgets. The only person in the Abbott government who seems to understand that is Senator Macdonald, when he belled the cat, when he was brave enough to stand up and say, 'This is a mean tax; this will affect low-income earners.' Senator Macdonald is exactly right.

On top of all the other cruel increases the Abbott government want to heap on the poor and on low-income earners, there is now a new tax on fuel. What about the poor in the bush, who drive even further to get to work, to get to the doctor, to ferry kids around? Thanks to the Nationals, they will cop this new tax, too, and they will have to carry this extra burden in their household incomes. Mr Abbott can talk all he likes about this being a small increase. The more he does it, the more ordinary Australians know how out of touch he is because, when you are living on a benefit or a pension, or you are a low-paid early childhood educator, or you are a low-paid aged carer, every cent counts. Mr Abbott does not have to live on an hourly rate of around $20 per hour and he does not have to make a part-time wage stretch across his whole family. He is a Prime Minister with no idea about those who are less fortunate than himself. If he had any understanding at all, he would stop making these claims. Now this mean-spirited, out-of-touch Abbott government is talking up an increase in the GST, which, just like this fuel increase, will hit the poorest in our society the hardest. In people's next pay packet, they will be hit with this fuel increase, whether they like it or not.

Who could forget how the Liberal Party hatched their cunning plan to trick the Nationals earlier in the year—they trapped their junior partners—by pretending it was all about the diesel fuel debate? No, the plan has been on the table since then; it was always about the fuel increase. Instead of having the stomach to come in here and face the Labor Party opposition, they went out the back door because they know, just like Senator Macdonald knows, that this is a harsh measure. The fuel tax will hit every single Australian and it will hit those who Mr Hockey apparently thinks do not have cars or do not drive very far the hardest. They are an out-of-touch, mean-spirited government who will not now bring their measures into this parliament so that the Australian people can see the inconsistencies of this government—a government of broken promises and harsh measures. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.