Opinion: Federal Budget fails the fairness test

THE Coalition is looking after the wealthy at the expense of ordinary Australians, says Bill Shorten.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten during Question Time in Parliament House. Picture: Kym Smith

THIS is the Budget of a government that wants to bury its past and rewrite its history.

The Liberals want Australians to forget four wasted years in which wages growth has hit record lows, unemployment is up, under-employment has hit record highs and living standards have stagnated. This Budget is an admission of guilt. A signed confession.

And now they have the nerve to come in here and talk about ‘fairness’ and ‘opportunity’.

There’s nothing fair about making middle class and working class Australians pay more, while millionaires and multinationals pay less.

There’s nothing fair about a $65 billion giveaway for big business, while you’re cutting $22 billion from schools.

This Budget fails the fairness test – and it fails the generational test.

It does nothing for families’ cost of living.

It’s a budget of big government, higher tax and more debt. Make no mistake, this is not a Labor Budget.

The truth of this Budget is the Medicare freeze remains in place – and won’t be eradicated until 2020. And every day between now and then Australians will be paying more for their healthcare.

Labor won’t stop the Liberals’ new tax on the banks but we are deeply sceptical of a banking culture that takes every opportunity to hit customers with higher fees and charges. And let me make this clear – if the banks pass on a single dollar of this tax to Australian families – then that should be the end of this Government.

Let’s look at the one new idea for housing in this Budget. A poison pill for superannuation. The sad lesson of first-home owner grants is that any extra cash in the pocket of people looking to buy is eaten-up by price rises. And, when you study the detail, this program offers microscopic assistance for young people.

Since Budget night, Labor has already identified $1 billion of Government measures we will not support. However there are Government measures we will support. We welcome the overdue changes to the Family Court because no survivor of family violence should be cross-examined by the perpetrator. And of course we support the new initiatives helping our Veterans.

On Tuesday night, the Government’s massive tax giveaway for multinationals didn’t even rate a mention. Today we found out why – $65 billion for big business and 10 bucks a week for workers in 2027. There’s never been a more exciting time to be a multinational corporation.

And let me be clear about the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Labor didn’t just create the NDIS, we fully funded it, we budgeted for it, and Treasury confirmed it.

And, after three years of Liberal Cabinet leaks questioning the cost and the value of the NDIS, we will not have our commitment challenged by those opposite.

Next time the Government lectures Australians about fairness consider these decisions:

They’re ignoring negative gearing and capital gains – that’s $37 billion. They’re letting multinationals and tax minimisers off the hook – that’s $6.7 billion. They’re giving the top 2 per cent of Australians a tax cut – that’s $19.4 billion. And they’re clinging on to their hand-out for big business – that’s $65.4 billion. This is $128.5 billion the Liberals could use to pay down the debt without holding the NDIS hostage, without cutting schools or jacking-up uni fees and without increasing taxes.

Three years ago, having promised no cuts to schools, the Liberals ripped away $30 billion and last week they told the parents and students of Australia to be grateful they’re now only cutting $22 billion.

In the Labor Party, we believe every child in every school deserves every opportunity for a world-class education and we understand not every parent who sends their child to a local Catholic parish primary school is wealthy.

Tonight, I can confirm, Labor will oppose the Liberals’ cuts to universities, the increase in student fees and the change in the repayment threshold.

A Labor Government will make a new rule. For major infrastructure projects funded by the Commonwealth – one out of every 10 people employed must be an Australian apprentice. That means when we invest in public transport for our cities (Cross-River Rail in Brisbane) we’ll also be investing in Australian jobs and apprentices. Labor will hire Australian and we’ll buy Australian too.

Labor will apply our new one in 10 rule to Government-Business Enterprises like the National Broadband Network, defence procurement and the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

The Government says this is a Budget for “better days ahead”.

What they mean is better days for millionaires and multinationals, better days for property investors and tax-minimisers, better days for the big end of town but bad news for battlers.

If our country is to achieve better days ahead, then Australia needs a better government. A fairer government. A Labor Government … for all Australians.

This is an edited extract of Labor Leader Bill Shorten’s Budget reply speech

Originally published as Opinion: Federal Budget fails the fairness test