Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to thank Senator Henderson for another opportunity to talk about the outstanding budget delivered last night by Treasurer Chalmers and how it will continue to deliver for every single Australian. But, if you are going to stand up in this chamber and say that Australians are paying higher taxes under this government, I think that the record needs to be corrected. Broken promises, higher taxes, more debt, lower living standards and fewer homes—Senator Henderson lays this at the feet of this Labor government. The problem is that she's actually reading from her own report card. That was the combination of their nine years in government and what the coalition took to the last election.

But let's take a closer look at what was delivered last night on taxes. Every single Australian working taxpayer received a tax cut from this budget. That is 13.3 million workers. An average worker will be up to $2,816 better off every year by 2028. Over a working life, the average Australian earner will pay up to $38,977 less in tax compared with where we were sitting in 2023. So it feels as though someone's calculator must be broken on their side over there, because that doesn't equal higher taxes to me. I don't know what budget Senator Henderson was reading.

On debt, gross debt peaks lower, peaks earlier and is lower in every year for the next 11 years compared with what we inherited. The budget position is more than a quarter of a trillion dollars better than when Labor was elected in 2022. Real spending growth averages just 1.5 per cent for the eight years to June 2030. That is the lowest average growth rate in any eight-year period for almost 3½ decades. For those over there with the broken calculators, that's 35 years. If that is economic mismanagement, I'd hate to see what Senator Henderson thought about the trillion dollars of debt and nothing to show for it during their time in government. But you did get something out of that trillion dollars of debt; you did get those little 'Back in Black' mugs printed.

On living standards, real wages have grown for eight out of the nine last quarters. The fuel excise has been cut from 52.6c to 20.6c per litre. There has been a $1,000 instant tax deduction, with no receipts required, saving millions of working Australians time and money. There are 137 Medicare urgent care clinics—fully funded, free, walk-in, seven days a week, permanent. By July, four in five Australians will be within a 20-minute drive of one. That is what it looks like when a government takes cost of living seriously.

Let's talk about women. This budget is one that benefits every Australian woman. The average Australian female worker, on $68,000, will receive a combined benefit of up to $2,494 per year from 2027-28. The tax changes are expected to boost women's labour supply by 900,000 hours. And there is $182.6 million to address the weaponisation of the child support scheme, because $2 billion in child support debt is owed in this country, and 83 per cent of the people affected are women. This will be life-changing for Australian women. This government is one that sees the need and acts on it. Australia's gender equality ranking has risen from 43rd to 13th since 2022. The gender pay gap is at a historic low. That is not an accident; it is deliberate policy.

For the regional Victorians I represent, the fuel excise is absolutely valuable. They drive further, they depend on fuel more and they feel these global pressures harder. This budget delivers $14.8 billion for a fuel and fertiliser security package that directly supports farmers and regional industries. There is $781.6 million for new rounds of the Thriving Suburbs and Growing Regions programs—money that flows directly to councils and community organisations across regional Victoria. There is $1.75 billion to improve Australia's freight and rail network, critical infrastructure for agriculture and manufacturing for our regions. We've also made changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax that will mean that more Australians can get into a home sooner.