Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Payman. Our government knows that no young Australian should have to make the choice between work, study and paying their rent. That is why we're acting to provide responsible cost-of-living relief. A young person juggling part-time study while working, earning, say, $30,000 a year, will receive a tax cut of $354 under Labor's tax plan. Under the opposition's plan, they would have got zero—absolutely nothing.

Cutting taxes for Middle Australia is a central part of our economic plan, along with getting wages moving again, bringing inflation under control and driving fairer prices for Australian consumers. Under Labor, wage growth is double what it averaged under the Liberals and Nationals. The Liberals and Nationals spent a wasted decade in government keeping young Australians' wages low, a deliberate design feature of their economic architecture. Mr Dutton has consistently opposed cost-of-living measures, and he wants Australians to work longer for less. Time and time again, he has shown that he can only say no, dividing all Australians. (Time expired)