with
SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE
CHAIR OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON COVID-19
SENATOR FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

The Budget will rack up a trillion dollars of debt but still doesn’t do enough to create jobs, fails to build for the future and leaves too many Australians behind.
 
Despite producing a grab-bag of headline-seeking announcements, the Government expects another 160,000 Australians to be added to the jobless queues by Christmas.
 
Scott Morrison is leaving Australia with one trillion dollars of debt but unemployment is too high for too long, with the jobless rate not expected to get back to pre-crisis levels even after four years.
 
That’s one trillion dollars of debt but millions of Australians left behind, including 928,000 people aged over 35 on unemployment benefits deliberately excluded from hiring subsidies.
 
One trillion dollars of debt, a track record of no delivery and no plan for the future.
 
There is no plan to lift the permanent rate of JobSeeker from $40 per day, tackle insecure work, create opportunities for women or to improve access to child care.
 
No plan for social housing, cheaper and cleaner energy, or to address the crisis in aged care.
 
No plan to kick-start the economy, boost productivity, increase participation, or lift the speed limit on growth.
 
While the average worker will receive a $50 per fortnight tax cut, millions on JobKeeper have seen their payment cut by at least $300 per fortnight.
 
Decisions taken by the Liberals in this Budget mean that the Morrison Recession will be deeper and longer than necessary.
 
TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2020