Shayne Neumann
Blair · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The new service will be built at Rosewood State School to help local families avoid the double drop-off in the morning—and in the afternoon, I might add—and help students to make a smoother transition to school.”
“It builds on our landmark schools funding agreement with the Queensland government to provide a record $2.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Queensland state schools over the next 10 years, all tied to reforms to lift education standards.”
“The second capital upgrade involved $850,000 for a new custom amenities block at Linville State School, a little country school in the northern Somerset region, which has delivered modern facilities to ensure students' health and safety needs are met.”
“Labor is the party of education. The Albanese Labor government is building the education infrastructure we need in my electorate and building a better and fairer education system from preschool to tertiary.”
“An upgrade to the Mount Crosby interchange on the Warrego Highway is critical to the lives, lifestyle and livelihoods of the people of Ipswich. Last night, I was appalled to hear media reports that the Queensland LNP government is proposing in this week's budget to cut funding for the Mount Crosby interchange in my electorate.”
“I remember being in this House, in this parliament, when the coalition voted against the natural disaster funding, much of which was going to local councils in Queensland. It cost $11 billion of taxpayers' funding to rebuild Queensland after the 2011 floods.”
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“My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to make sure early educators are paid fairly while strengthening the safety and affordability of early education?”
“The new service will be built at Rosewood State School to help local families avoid the double drop-off in the morning—and in the afternoon, I might add—and help students to make a smoother transition to school. Only three in 10 students living in Rosewood get access to this kind of education before they go to school, so this will make a big difference to those children. It's part of an almost $45 million package for five new early learning services across Queensland. Of course, this complements the Albanese Labor government's $3.6 billion investment—announced just last week—to lock in an historic 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood educators for the next two years, building on an initial pay rise in 2024. It goes to show that Labor is the party of education.”
“It builds on our landmark schools funding agreement with the Queensland government to provide a record $2.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Queensland state schools over the next 10 years, all tied to reforms to lift education standards. When it comes to early education, our government is also investing in the needs of my local community. In April, I was delighted to join the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator the Hon. Jess Walsh, to announce $9 million for a new early learning service in Rosewood, in a rural part of Ipswich, to improve access to quality early education and child care in this fast-growing country town just outside the Ipswich CBD.”
“The second capital upgrade involved $850,000 for a new custom amenities block at Linville State School, a little country school in the northern Somerset region, which has delivered modern facilities to ensure students' health and safety needs are met. The new amenities block, with facilities for staff and access for students with disabilities, is appropriately elevated to avoid local reptilian fauna. It was wonderful to see firsthand what a difference the funding is making to these schools and to hear from staff and students about just how proud they are of the facilities. It's all part of our commitment to build a better and fairer education system.”
“Labor is the party of education. The Albanese Labor government is building the education infrastructure we need in my electorate and building a better and fairer education system from preschool to tertiary. This month I was delighted to open upgrades to two schools in Blair that were funded under the second round of the Albanese government's Schools Upgrade Fund. The first project involved $800,000 for Riverview State School, in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich, to refurb old classrooms and staffrooms and install improved learning and teaching spaces, including storage and sinks, and new technology, including smartboards.”
“The Kilcoy information centre is funded by the federal Labor government—also, upgrades to the Kilcoy showgrounds and other showgrounds. The coalition has opposed this again and again and again. To come into this place and provide this type of motion—it is exactly the opposite of what coalition governments have done, which is exactly the opposite of the incredible commitment that Labor governments have to local government.”
“I've had the honour and privilege of representing all or part of Ipswich and Brisbane councils, the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley, as well as the Somerset region. I can tell you that it's been Labor governments that have made huge differences, like the Robelle Domain parklands, the upgrades to the civic centre in Ipswich and other projects, like the Orion pool in Springfield in Ipswich; and other projects all up the Brisbane Valley Highway, like the Esk community and civic centre up there in Somerset and also things like the art gallery in Toogoolawah. Recently, as part of Thriving Suburbs, we provided $5 million for tourism, for the environment, for medical rooms and for library facilities in Esk and Toogoolawah. These are things that Labor governments have done—not coalition governments, who actually oppose these things.”
“Also, of course, during the global financial crisis, when we rolled out extra support for councils, for community infrastructure, the coalition voted against the money again. Again in federal parliament they voted against it. So don't give us this rank, faux worry that somehow we're not supporting local government when we've actually doubled the Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion, and we've increased Black Spot funding from $110 million to $150 million per year. That's what we've done. We've also brought forward assistance with financial assistance grants. Look at what the Labor government does and what Labor governments have done, and look at what the coalition governments have failed to do or opposed. This motion here is just full of nonsense—absolute nonsense.”
“I remember being in this House, in this parliament, when the coalition voted against the natural disaster funding, much of which was going to local councils in Queensland. It cost $11 billion of taxpayers' funding to rebuild Queensland after the 2011 floods. The coalition voted against the funding to provide support for local councils and local communities. So don't give us this nonsense, the complete nonsense that we've got in this motion, that somehow the coalition is supportive of local government. Look at how they voted. They opposed the referendum to recognise local government. They opposed the funding to provide support to recover from the floods in my home state of Queensland. When we put it up, they opposed it. This was money going to councils, and we had to bring forward other money to councils to help them to rebuild.”
“At the time, the Australian Local Government Association, ALGA, estimated the freeze caused a permanent 13 per cent reduction in the total grants base, compounding the shortfall for local councils nationwide. It was a politically disastrous budget and a shocking decision. It severely damaged Joe Hockey's relationship with ALGA and the coalition's standing with local government after they opposed the two referenda that were going to be put to them, one by Hawke and one by Gillard. I think in large part this really destroyed Joe Hockey's aspirations for prime ministership. In contrast, when we came to office, we provided assistance, for example, in natural disasters. We heard the previous speaker speaking about natural disasters.”
“The coalition put this motion before the chamber—and don't tell us about politics. That's their motion. The coalition is so enamoured with local government that they campaigned ferociously when the Hawke government put up a proposal to recognise local government in our Australian constitution in 1988. In 2013, the coalition scuttled, by the way, the bipartisan approach that the Gillard government wanted to take in recognising local government through a proposed referendum. Local government in this country is recognised by state legislation, and the coalition has an appalling record when it comes to local government. Who could ever forget Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey's infamous 2014 horror budget? The coalition broke an election promise. They froze indexation of financial assistance grants for three years.”
“Media reports are saying that the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads' capital program concerning this interchange is being reduced by $170.7 million. It's time for the Queensland Premier to explain to the people of Ipswich what's happening to the money and what he proposes to do with this much needed upgrade for the Ipswich region. I'm looking forward to the Queensland budget this week, and I hope they deliver the funding we need.”
“An upgrade to the Mount Crosby interchange on the Warrego Highway is critical to the lives, lifestyle and livelihoods of the people of Ipswich. Last night, I was appalled to hear media reports that the Queensland LNP government is proposing in this week's budget to cut funding for the Mount Crosby interchange in my electorate. On last assessment, nearly a decade ago, 58,000 vehicles a day go through that interchange. In 2004, the then state Labor candidate for Ipswich West, Wendy Bourne, now the state member for Ipswich West, and I secured fifty-fifty funding from the Albanese Labor government and the former state Labor government for this vital upgrade—$138.5 million each, for a total of $277 million. In a sneaky budget move, it looks like the Crisafulli LNP government is proposing to shelve the project by stealth. It's not good enough.”
“They opposed every single bill we ever put into this House to provide energy bill relief for Australian consumers. They voted against every piece of legislation that we brought in to provide tax cuts. They opposed cheaper child care.”
“I'm sick and tired of the faux outrage from those opposite on cost-of-living relief when, in fact, they have opposed almost every single bill that the Albanese Labor government has brought into this House to assist people with the cost of living. Inflation was at 6.1 per cent under the previous coalition government, before we came to power, and going up. It is now down to 4.2 per cent. So look at the facts, not at what they say. Just because a coalition spokesperson at the dispatch box says something, it doesn't mean it's always true. They opposed every minimum wage increase we supported. They opposed student debt reduction. They opposed free TAFE before the last election. And who can ever forget their former leader, the former member for Farrer, saying that, unless you actually pay for things, you don't appreciate them?”
“The problem with what the member for Barker said is simply that the coalition failed to deliver one surplus budget, despite having promised a surplus budget each and every year they were in office. They did not do it once. The biggest-spending government in the history of the Commonwealth of Australia was the Morrison coalition government. Since we've come to office, government debt is down $45 billion and the deficit is down $7.8 billion. We have delivered two budget surpluses. So don't listen to what they say, look at the record of the previous coalition governments. Look at their failure and look at how they have voted in the House of Representatives.”
“Minister, my question is: can the government update the House on the progress of the National Food Security Strategy? Finally, I also want to know where we're going on fertiliser and fuel security for our farmers, our producers and our fishers.”
“The number of employers participating in the scheme is at a record high, with 130 new employers joining since the deed and the guidelines were introduced, in July 2023, bringing the total number of employers to 537 as of February 2026. How is the PALM scheme going to help our local farmers? I also want to talk about our national food security strategy, Feeding Australia. The government has undertaken consultation and received 400 submissions. We've established the National Food Council, and we've also got a national food supply chain assessment going on. The Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Security Scheme, in my electorate, is very important, with the capacity to deliver a 50 per cent increase in irrigation water for agriculture and horticulture. They made a submission to Feeding Australia.”
“Importantly, the number of long-term workers has increased significantly in both agriculture and meat processing. So we're getting on with the job—strengthening PALM, investing in skills and training, and adding occupations to the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List—while working with the industry to address ongoing challenges. We're also investing $440 million, from 2022 to 2027, to expand and improve the PALM scheme. I know this is a win for Australia but also for many of our Pacific neighbours—including, for example, the Solomon Islands. We've had the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands here in the last few days. I met him at Brisbane Airport recently and raised this topic with him.”
“My question to the minister is: What is the government doing to support beef producers and processors in my electorate, and elsewhere, to export world-class products? How is the government assisting them to diversify their export markets to provide our farmers with the best platform for continuing growth? The Albanese Labor government is also working with stakeholders delivering the PALM scheme, a reliable and productive source of labour for employers that is particularly beneficial and safe for workers. Under the Albanese government the PALM scheme has continued to grow, from about 8,000 workers in March 2022 to more than 32,500 this year. Now, 29,000 of those workers are across agriculture and meat processing, including at JBS Dinmore and Kilcoy Global Foods.”
“My question to the minister is: how will the Albanese Labor government continue to support and secure more market access for our agriculture exporters, including red-meat processors in my electorate? The government is backing the beef industry to ensure a stronger, sustainable profitable future for our producers and regional communities. We provided record funding for Beef Australia, including $12 million to deliver a bigger and better Beef 2027 in Rockhampton, in my home state of Queensland. This underscores our commitment to Australia's almost $16 billion beef industry, which is our most valuable agricultural exports. Beef and veal were Australia's third-largest agricultural export commodity to Indonesia in 2025, valued at $581 million—a figure which has grown 49 per cent since we came to office.”
“Thanks to the efforts of this Albanese government, these were removed in 2024 and two red-meat processors were able to resume exports with China. This government is focused on opening doors for Australian agriculture and processing industries to grow and diversify overseas markets. Between July 2022 and March 2026, the Albanese Labor government recorded 272 market access achievements. Australia's farm gate production value is forecast to exceed $100 billion this year—years ahead of the National Farmers Federation target. The opposition spent nearly a decade eroding and neglecting our relationships with many of our trading partners, and Australia's reputation suffered as a result. We're getting those relationships back on track and opening opportunities.”
“Since coming to office, the Albanese Labor government has delivered for the Australian agricultural sector by strengthening biosecurity, boosting AgForce, opening up new trade opportunities and improving farm sustainability. We're working to diversify trade opportunities to export more of Australia's world-class cultural products than we did before. We've unlocked $20 billion worth of trade with China and delivered more market access opportunities than ever before for Australian farmers and producers. This has been a game changer in my electorate of Blair as, under the former Morrison government, China imposed import restrictions on two local meat-processing plants—JBS Dinmore in Ipswich and Kilcoy Global Foods based in Kilcoy and Coominya.”
“In October last year I was pleased that the government announced the inclusion of Queensland and Northern Territory representation in the body earlier than expected. Monitoring and remediation is critical for RAAF Base Amberley, and a plan needs to be undertaken and will be undertaken. People in my community and across Defence sites throughout the country have dealt with the consequences of PFAs contamination for many years, and they deserve transparency, accountability and ongoing support. I welcome this litigation. It's an action of a government that's committed to fighting for Australians in the long-term interest, and I welcome the outcome and I support the government.”
“I wrote to the previous government, and they knocked that request back. In August 2019, the study recommended further ecological studies in the Leichhardt residential area, where water was used from the waterways on what was then the fairways of the golf course before it was turned into residential dwellings. I'm proud of this commitment by this government for a review of PFAS areas, and I was proud of the fact that, when I was shadow minister for defence personnel back in 2022, we made an announcement that we would undertake a review. Jim Varghese, a well-respected Queensland senior public servant with extensive experience, undertook that review. One of the key recommendations was the establishment of a national coordinating body to strengthen national collaboration and regional oversight.”
“Over on page 111 and 112 in appendix B, it states that children and adults eating meat from cattle grazing at Warrill Creek beside RAAF Base Amberley had a health risk 47 times the acceptable levels. Of course, there were health risks associated with home consumption of beef. The August study expanded the concerns into other areas around Bremer River that circle the facility at RAAF Base Amberley. There was study into human impacts recommending residents not eat eggs from their own properties near the base. Fruit and vegetables grown near the base would also be tested before being eaten. I said back in those days that it was clear that residents should have access to blood and other appropriate tests so they could make sure their human health was not affected by associated, direct or indirect contact with PFAS compounds.”
“We need to mitigate the risks to human health, which are still unclear, and to the environment. I don't believe complete eradication of PFAS is possible, but the risks must be assessed and minimised. Here's a bit of history. It's really important. PFAS testing on the RAAF Base Amberley has been going on since about April 2018 as part of the PFAS investigation conducted on seafood, mullet, catfish and eels in the Bremer River and Warrill Creek. The analysis showed that this shouldn't be eaten. In addition, further testing analysis was carried out by Defence as part of the human health risk assessment. Not just in April 2018 but in November 2018 there were Defence studies showing PFAS chemicals had leached from firefighting foams used at RAAF Base Amberley, and there was a Department of Defence scientific study in August 2019.”
“Defence has spent $1.3 billion on PFAS response, monitoring, assessment and remediation, working with state and territory governments to support communities near bases. In addition to that, Defence has settled multiple claims—class actions as well as individual claims—to the tune of millions of dollars. This is the largest claim ever brought by the Commonwealth. It's an encouraging development for my electorate of Blair, which is home to the RAAF Base Amberley, near Ipswich, where there is PFAS contamination on or around the base, including in nearby waterways and residential areas like Amberley, Willowbank and Leichhardt. The testing has been regular and ongoing. It's been going for the best part of a decade. There are gaps analyses and risk assessments on contamination at all Defence sites including at RAAF Base Amberley.”
“The announcement last week that the Commonwealth has commenced legal action against 3M Australia and the 3M company for allegedly withholding information and making false statements about the long-term environmental impact of the use of 3M firefighting foam containing PFAS on Defence sites was most welcome in my local community. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, are forever chemicals, a manmade group of chemicals that are soluble in water. They've been used commonly in household products and in industrial use since the 1950s. As part of this action, the Commonwealth is seeking more than $2 billion in damages to recover significant past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historical storage and use of the foam at 28 Defence base sites across the country.”
“My question is to the Minister for Housing. How is the Albanese Labor government helping more Australians into homeownership, and what results are we seeing from the five per cent deposit scheme? Why is this approach more beneficial than other approaches to housing?”
“This budget is the first sign for us in a long, long time that the government actually cares about fixing the problem. Please don't sell us out … Howard, we will not sell you out. We will continue to support you and others who want to get into first homeownership.”
“Housing and property tax reforms, along with faster environmental approvals for housing projects, were some of the big takeaways from that discussion. I know this is important. I want to say this as I finish. I got an email from someone which, I think, sums it up very well. Howard from Ipswich said: Thank you for the CGT, negative nearing and trusts changes in this year's budget. My wife and I bought our first home in— Ipswich— … last year, after years and years of watching the housing crisis worsen and knowing that our younger siblings and friends are being progressively locked out of home ownership. This budget has earnt so much goodwill from us. Every year previously that the housing crisis worsened, every year that housing values grew faster than our savings did, we became more jaded and more angry towards … major parties.”
“Tax law reform seems to be an endless thing that occupies the Treasury, this House and the Senate. The government is consulting with stakeholders in the areas of trusts—their nature and operation—and the treatment of capital gains tax for small and start-up businesses. Where appropriate, those details will be provided, following consultation, in legislation. These changes build on our existing home reform to help level the playing field for homeowners. They've come about, very much, because of the Treasurer's national reform roundtable in August last year. There was a strong consensus on the need for intergenerational equity, especially in the tax system. I held my own Blair Economic Reform Roundtable with representatives from local businesses, unions, government agencies, community groups and experts.”
“Some of the clearance rates I referred to before show that tax changes are not the only factors that people think about when considering participating in auctions. Broader economic conditions are also at play. Frankly, we're making it easier—in this bill and the accompanying bill—for first home buyers in my community to get a crack at those auctions. That's a good thing, and that's what reform is all about. In terms of the sequencing of reforms, these bills are the first tranche of legislation to implement the government's tax reform. Legislating significant reforms in tranches is a standard approach, and past reforms such as CGT, GST and other major changes have similarly been implemented in tranches. We seem to have endless numbers of tax law amendment bills, or TLABs, in this place.”
“From what I've seen of the auctions on the weekend and the news we're seeing, more first home buyers are in the market. That evidence on the weekend is very encouraging. Those prophets of doom opposite really are saying that our tax reforms will crash the housing market, but that's not the evidence so far, and I doubt that's what will happen. We've maintained, in our budget papers and our commitment, the small-business CGT concessions. Small businesses with an aggregate turnover between $2 million and/or net assets less than $6 million will still be eligible for substantial discounts on capital gains tax, notwithstanding the introduction of a minimum 30 per cent rate on real gains. The main residence is still CGT exempt. The existing 60 per cent CGT discount for eligible affordable housing is still there.”
“We're going to really support younger people in particular and people getting into their first homes. What's more, the modelling indicates that people with significant share investments won't pay substantially more tax and will be able to make healthy post-tax profits. That's what the modelling shows. In terms of the broader impacts, OECD research suggests there's no clear evidence these reforms will reduce investment and productivity in the economy. The prophets of doom over there seem very keen on saying that somehow capital gains tax will increase massively. According to Treasury analysis, a modest increase in capital gains tax will be 19.3 per cent to 21.4 per cent over 10 years. This is good news, and it means that the market—I think—will start to moderate.”
“For the party that say they're all in favour of tax cuts, their actions in this House—in this place—and in the Senate don't indicate they're actually in favour of tax cuts. The combined benefit for someone in my electorate as a result of what we're doing is $2,816, and 80,000 taxpayers in my electorate of Blair will benefit from this cost-of-living tax relief. This is the first step in a significant transformation of the tax system, and it really improves it. We know from Treasury modelling that most young people, around 90 per cent, will benefit from the combined effect of these tax reforms before impacts on the housing market are taken into account. This shows that, had the changes been made decades before, those under 30 years of age would be much better off financially.”
“Despite what those opposite say, the budget bottom line is better by $45 billion over the forward estimates prior to MYEFO, and the deficit in 2026-27 is actually $7.8 billion less than we inherited when we came to power in May 2022. So, despite what they say—I read the commentary before—the reality in the budget papers actually shows that we are better off, and the government's saving money through what it's doing. The WATO and instant tax deduction build on already legislated tax cuts. On Thursday, those opposite will have an opportunity to vote to give people tax cuts. Last term, they voted against tax cuts. They went to an election saying they were going to reverse them. Now, they say they're going to reverse them if they win next time. That blue horizon seems to be a long way off.”
“Capital gains tax is paid on the same rate of taxation as an individual pays in the year of its realisation. If you were to listen to those opposite, you'd think that everyone's paying the 47c in the dollar. It's completely untrue. Most people will pay 30c in the dollar in tax. That's the reality, and that's why the 30c in the dollar is mentioned again and again in relation to what we're doing in this budget and these bills. The new revenue raised will return to workers and businesses in the near term and, together with substantial expenditure savings, will improve the budget's sustainability over the medium term.”
“Recipients of certain income support, such as age pensions and JobSeeker, will be exempt from the minimum tax if those payments are received in the year in which the capital gains are realised. Those opposite never mention that. Finally, this legislation will limit negative gearing for residential properties to new builds from the 2027-28 income year. Arrangements will remain unchanged for all existing investments made before 7.30 pm on 12 May 2026. The changes are prospective. Capital gains on existing investments that accrue prior to 1 July 2027 will retain access to the 50 per cent discount while capital gains which accrue from that date—from 1 July 2027—will be subject to the new inflation based discount and the minimum tax. This will ensure everyone pays their fair share of tax.”
“The WATO will automatically reduce workers' tax liabilities on their income earned from working in the 2027-28 income year. The bills will introduce a $1,000 instant tax deduction from 2026-27 to allow workers to deduct up to $1,000 off their income tax without the frustration of receipt keeping, which I know really annoys people as they work. The bills replace the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with a new discount based on inflation for gains accrued from 1 July 2027. Investors in new builds will have a choice between the 50 per cent discount and the new arrangements. The bills will introduce a minimum tax rate of 30 per cent on real capital gains accrued from 1 July 2027.”
“I'd encourage those opposite to read that budget paper, because it's crystal clear, then, that we need to do something about this. This legislation is going to help 75,000 Australians, mainly young, realise the dream of homeownership over the next decade. There are new rounds of tax cuts for 13 million Australians, and we are making tax time simpler. And we are raising $40 billion over 10 years. This legislation is about cutting personal income taxes again and again and making it easier to buy a home, as well as better aligning the tax treatment of income from work with income from assets. These bills deliver a number of things. One of these is a new working Australians tax offset, a WATO, to provide a permanent annual tax offset of up to $250 to every working Australian.”
“The budget papers make it very clear that people on average real incomes of about $800,000 per year during their peak earning years 'benefited from tax concessions worth more than $700,000 over their working life from a combination of the capital gains tax discount, negative gearing and discretionary trusts'. Budget Paper No. 1 says: In many cases, these concessions mean that higher earning Australians can pay less tax than those with lower means, substantially undermining the progressivity of the tax system. The progressive nature of our tax system is jeopardised by this. It goes on: Without reform, the forgone revenue will continue to grow as the population ages, increasing pressure on the Budget to fund services Australians rely on and limiting the Government's ability to sustainably return bracket creep to Australian workers.”
“If they had believed it, in that period of nearly 10 years they would have done something about it. Only hundreds of homes were built by them in those nearly 10 years—hundreds, not hundreds of thousands like we're supporting currently. We know supply is the main game, as I say, but taxation is critical as well in terms of intergenerational equity, investment reorientation and equity between the efforts of labour and the efforts of capital and how they're taxed. Budget Paper No. 1, at page 142, makes it pretty clear, and I would encourage those opposite to have a bit of a look at the budget papers, not just look at the talking points.”
“They do not believe that working-class people, fundamentally, should aspire to the dream of homeownership. Our government's listened, and we're acting on it. We cannot wait any longer. We have to build on what we've done in the past four years. I would have more respect for those opposite if they had ever voted for one housing bill in our Homes for Australia plan— $47 billion to increase the supply of housing. But those opposite, the Liberal and National parties, couldn't be bothered to have a housing minister for most of their tenure—nearly 10 years on the treasury bench. On that front, we know supply is the main game. Those opposite fundamentally do not believe the Commonwealth government has a role in housing. They fundamentally do not believe it.”
“Since the Howard government introduced the 50 per cent CGT discount for people who hold their assets for more than 12 months, it has been increasingly difficult for people to get into the housing market—if you're a young Australian trying to buy your first home. We've had 27 years of evidence and experience to know the Howard government got it wrong. John Howard and Peter Costello made a mistake in distorting investment and distorting the economy. We know that hundreds of thousands of working Australians don't know what it's like to live in their own home, because the conservative parties in this country never cease to kick down. They always want to help those on the up who are rich and powerful and wealthy, and they never want to support working and middle Australians.”
“Every single time they've got an opportunity to vote for a bill that provides support for working people, they oppose it. Before 1985 in this country we had no general taxation on capital gains. The Hawke and Keating government introduced a CGT to ensure arrangements couldn't be made to convert income into tax-free capital gains. It was prospective. Taxation was of course linked to inflation indexation. Contrary to what those opposite say, the biggest taxing government in the history of the Commonwealth of Australia was the Howard coalition government, and the biggest spending government was the Morrison coalition government. It goes against the narrative of those opposite—the reality of what happened.”
“Combined with our previous personal tax cuts, it means $2,800, on average, back in the pockets of Australians from 2027-28. We're helping more Australians realise their dream of homeownership and supporting investments in innovation through a significant tax reform package, the most significant one we've seen in a quarter of a century. This package is pro aspiration, it is pro jobs, it is pro worker and it is pro homeownership. It's about helping workers, first home buyers and businesses like those in my community so that more people can earn more, keep more of what they earn, get in the housing market and get ahead. I wonder why the tories over there, the Liberal and National parties, never want working-class people to get ahead.”
“I rise to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and the income tax bill. We've just heard a diatribe of a half-a-trillion worth of unfunded commitments, which disqualifies the 'blue horizon'. I wonder whether he's ever looked at the result of the last election, the one before that or any polls since then—uncosted policies delivering much bigger deficits, higher debt and higher inflation. Of course, they're voting against the tax cuts that Australians will receive after what happens on Thursday. I'm pleased to support this real reform from a reforming Labor government. Through this legislation, the Albanese Labor government are delivering a new $250 tax cut for every worker because help with the cost of living is our No. 1 priority.”
“We need to strengthen the tough laws the government has passed and send a very clear message: the NDIS is critical, and you should not steal from people with disability, or we'll find you and we'll throw the book at you. It's absolutely crucial. We want to support people to do the right thing and support people living on the NDIS.”