Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Minister for Women. Minister, a budget sets out the values of the government. With every dollar it spends, it sends up a flare about what it stands for. Last night's budget was a chance to help Australians deal with very real cost-of-living pressures by redirecting the stage 3 tax cuts. These cuts, a quarter of a trillion dollars, will flow to very wealthy Australians, mostly men, mostly older people. That will widen income and gender inequality, instead of helping those most in need. Why has your government stuck with a $9,000 annual tax cut for the wealthy, striking a real blow against Australia's progressive income tax system, while leaving low-income families are struggling to pay for food, power and rent?