Green's MP Max Chandler-Mather on Tuesday night, after the treasurer's budget speech, moved to amend a series of bills in order to make a protest speech about the government’s stage three tax cuts.
In doing so, he made the following statement -
The perversity of it is that we all sat here, hearing the treasurer talk about a sensible budget with tough choices, but everyone in this place is going to get an extra $9000 a year once the stage three tax cuts come into effect.
What are the tough choices that we’re all making here? What are the tough choices that the billionaires and millionaires are making, who are going to get the $9000 extra a year out of the stage three tax cuts?
Why on earth are my fellow MPs would wondering why people don’t like politicians. The amendment we’re moving tonight is to highlight the hypocrisy of a government that claims to care about ordinary people but gives $9000 extra a year to the politicians in this place who are already well overpaid.
This is, of course, a stunt, but it will play well with his constituency.
That constituency, gentle reader, is urban dwelling young people who are paying high rents, and can't see any prospect of getting access to the overheated housing market. It's an angry, and ever increasing group, and the Greens (and to a lesser extent the Teals) will continue to get strong backing from these people, who are articulate and resentful.
Labor ignore them, and the Coalition ridicule them. Both major parties do so at their political peril.
Maybe, to apply a cliche, the writing is on the wall. That writing is in bold font with text in teal and green.
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