CFMEU employee brands Labor colleagues a ‘bunch of privileged lefties’

A senior CFMEU employee says all the Labor critics of the government’s tax cuts “seem to live in $100,000 households”.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and his frontbench during Question Time in the House of Representatives Chamber this week. Picture: Kym Smith

A senior CFMEU employee has branded his ALP colleagues a “bunch of privileged lefties” for hesitating to pass the government’s full suite of tax cuts.

Melbourne-based CFMEU National Executive Officer Michael Flinn has had a spray on Facebook at the Labor supporters who “seem to have whipped themselves into a self righteous fury” because the ALP ultimately voted to support the tax package in the lower house after failing to split the third phase of tax cuts from stages one and two.

“It seems to me that this is exactly what in part cost us the election and continues to erode the base, including the thousands of working class voters who have abandoned us in Victoria,” Flinn wrote.

“Are we just a bunch of privileged lefties who think that denying working class people a $1000 tax cut based on the fact that we oppose the rich getting a tax cut in five years is a matter of high principle?

 

“And all the critics seem to live in $100,000 households where a $1000 bucks is not that big a deal.

“A principle that cost me nothing and cost working people something substantial is no principle at all.

“And yes I know about progressive tax systems and welfare and … bla bla bla …

“If we’d won we could have done it all but we lost and we need to understand why.”

Labor supporter Van Badham, a Guardian and ABC commentator, slammed her party for what she said was a “betrayal” in passing the tax cuts.

“What a betrayal, Labor,” Ms Badham tweeted. “What a staggering betrayal of your base, what an absolute calcification of the despair your supporters have felt since the night of May 18.To appease people who will never vote for you, you betray the very faith of those who do.”

What a betrayal, Labor. What a staggering betrayal of your base, what an absolute calcification of the despair your supporters have felt since the night of May 18. To appease people who will never vote for you, you betray the very faith of those who do. #auspol

— Van Badham (@vanbadham) July 4, 2019

The first stage of the government’s tax cuts plan will deliver up to $1080 to low and middle-income earners when they lodge their tax returns in coming months.

The second stage will top up a low-income tax offset, which means more people — earning up to $45,000 instead of $41,000 — will get a 19 per cent tax rate.

The final stage flattens the tax rate from 32.5 per cent to 30 per cent for people earning between $45,000 and $200,000 from mid-2024.

Labor unsuccessfully tried to scrap the third stage and bring the second stage forward before voting for the bill, which cleared Senate last night, 56 votes to nine.

The opposition will review its position on the final stage closer to the next election.

“What Labor has done is take a principled stand in the national economic interest,” Mr Albanese said.

“The fact is the economy is flatlining at the moment. What we did this week was always support, as we did during the election campaign, stage one of the tax cuts. We always supported that. That’s the only thing that will happen.”