MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Senator WALKER (South Australia) (18:05): You have to admire the coalition's timing. On the very day that Australians wake up to another tax cut, paid parental leave expands to six months, payday super begins, Medicare gets stronger, hospitals receive more funding and workers keep more of what they earn, the Liberal Party decide that the most important thing facing the country is a political slogan they've cooked up.
It's not about housing, wages, the cost of living or the fact that young Australians have been locked out of homeownership for too long. Instead, we get another weird political stunt. I suppose, when you're an opposition that's still moving backwards in the polls, that's probably all you've got left.
Let's be clear about what's happened here: the Treasurer has already said the government will address the arrangements around jointly held assets in circumstances like death and divorce, in subsequent legislation. We've said we'll fix it. We've said that there are technical issues to work through, and we've been upfront that significant tax reform is being legislated in stages, as governments of both political persuasions have done for decades.
This is hardly revolutionary. The GST wasn't legislated in one hit. Most major reforms haven't been.
When you're rewriting parts of the tax system, you need to take the time to get the details right. What Australians deserve is a tax system that's fair, workable and durable, not one that's rushed together for a press release. While the coalition wants to spend today manufacturing outrage, Labor is getting on with delivering reform.
From today, more than 13 million Australians receive another tax cut, workers will now pay thousands less tax than they would have under the system we inherited, small businesses get certainty through the permanent instant asset write-off, parents get six months of paid parental leave and workers start earning super from payday instead of waiting months and hoping their employer pays up.
These are real reforms, and they make a real difference. Let's compare this to the alternative. The same Liberal Party criticising this package voted against tax cuts for 13 million workers.
They went to the last election promising to repeal those tax cuts. Senator Hume called them 'egregious'. Apparently, letting ordinary Australians keep more of their own money is controversial.
It's an interesting set of priorities. And, while they're busy running scare campaigns, they're still defending a housing system that rewards speculation while too many young Australians can't even get their foot in the door. That's why our reforms matter.
They're about helping first home buyers and backing workers. They're about making sure the income earned from hard work isn't treated less favourably than income earned from owning assets. They're about creating a tax system that reflects the Australia we are trying to build, not the one that's left too many people behind.
If we're serious about aspiration, then aspiration can't only be for people who already own everything. It has to include the young couple trying to buy their first home, a nurse saving for a deposit, the apprentice putting away money each week and the teacher wondering whether homeownership is drifting further away every year. Those Australians deserve a government willing to tackle difficult reforms, and, yes, difficult reforms involve detail.
They involve consultation to make sure unintended consequences are properly addressed. That's exactly what we're doing. Meanwhile, the coalition seems determined to oppose every measure that helps working Australians while pretending they are the champions of fairness, and Australians can see through it.
They know the difference between governing and grandstanding. Today is a good day for millions of Australians: another tax cut, more support for families, more help for workers, more investment in hospitals and Medicare, a stronger superannuation system—all measures that improve productivity, support businesses and help more Australians get ahead. That's what this government is focused on.
The coalition can keep chirping nonsense if they like; we'll keep delivering reforms that actually improve people's lives. That's what Australians elected us to do and that's exactly what we will continue to do.