Supporting job creation, supporting families, choosing people
The Labor Herald has brought you Bill Shorten’s fighting words about saving Medicare during his speech at the Queensland election launch, detailing the priorities Labor has lined up against the Liberal privatisation machine.
Now we bring you the other theme of Bill’s address: that Labor chooses people.
“Back in May, in Tasmania, where I began this campaign — and every day since — from Beaconsfield to Brisbane — I’ve said this election is about choices and priorities,” said the Labor leader.
“We choose local jobs for local people
- A tax cut for small businesses
- Backing advanced manufacturing and renewable energy
- And 15,000 new apprenticeships
- We choose education.
- Gonski funding for our schools. Once and for all.
- Affordable university — not $100,000 degrees and the deregulation from the Liberal Party.
- And we’ll clean out the dodgy private providers in vocational education — because Labor is backing public TAFE all the way.
“We have chosen in this campaign to prioritise roads, rail and a first rate, fibre National Broadband Network.
“We choose equality and equal treatment for the women of Australia — and an end to family violence.
“We choose real action on climate change and we choose to protect the Great Barrier Reef,” he added.
But as Bill rightly asked, how do Malcolm’s choices stack up?
“Now, our opponents have made their choice too in this campaign,” said Shorten.
“No amount of waffle dressed up as oratory can disguise the fact that my opponent is — and always will be — a prisoner of his party, a hostage to extreme right-wing ideology.
“Mr Turnbull says this is a time for stability — but you cannot have stability without unity.
“Indeed, you can not have stability when you’re cutting Medicare.
“You cannot have stability when you’re not funding the schools properly.
“You cannot have stability when you have a poor climate change policy and you offer Australians a second-rate NBN.
“Cannot afford a part-time prime minister.”
“Mr Turnbull does not represent stability.
“And you certainly can not have stability when your party is not united.
“Our party is united — the Liberals are not united.
“The single biggest risk to the Australian economy in the next three years, is three more years of a divided Liberal government.
“Our people cannot afford another three years of administration from a weak Liberal Prime Minister who spends half his time worrying about his day-job and the other half fighting a civil war within his party.
“We cannot afford a part-time prime minister who doesn’t lead his own party.
“Behind their forced smiles today and the awkward music, when we watch those Liberals in that party are sharpening their weapons of revenge for the impending civil war in that party after the election.
“We know they are doing this because shamefully, their first target is marriage equality.
“The $160m plebiscite Malcolm Turnbull seeks to inflict on Australians — the price he price he is saying we must pay for his Prime Ministership — will dredge up prejudice and it will divide our country.
“In Australia — no-one should have to justify their relationships or their sexuality to anyone else.
“It’s no one’s business but theirs.
“The parliament will do its job and we will legislate to make marriage equality a reality within the first 100 days of a new Labor government.
“They’ve chosen the big banks over the battlers of Australia.”
“Friends, at this election the Liberals are asking Australians for six years.
“And in exchange, they offer one policy.
“A $50b giveaway for large multinationals.
“A cash splash, a ram-raid on the Australian Budget at the expense of schools and hospitals, Medicare and child care.
“This out-of-touch government are cutting money from families on $50,000 and $60,000 but sending $30b overseas and $7.4b direct to the profit bottom-line big banks.
“Mr Turnbull Liberals choose multinationals over Medicare.
“They’ve chosen the big banks over the battlers of Australia.
“A $50b hole in the budget, to camouflage a tax cut to foreign shareholders.
“It’s no wonder Mr Turnbull has to be dragged kicking and screaming to talk about his economic policy.
“How could someone who made a living as an investment banker sign Australia up for such a shotty-poor deal?” the Labor leader added.
As Bill said at the start of the campaign though, it comes down to vision and values.
“By contrast, Labor has an economic plan to protect the living standards of working and middle class families,” said Shorten.
“The Liberals have got a slogan — Labor has a plan.”
“Under Labor, a couple with two children on a combined income of $90,000 will be over $2200 better off each year.
“Under Labor, a single parent with two teenage kids on $65,000 will be over $3300 a year better off.
“Australians can always know that under Labor, middle class and working class families will always be better off.
“We will help the people who need it, the people who are making Australia — not rewarding banks who don’t deserve the corporate largess that Mr Turnbull wants to poor upon them.
“Today, Mr Turnbull will try and say ‘jobs and growth’ as many times as he can.
“But repetition and rhetoric are no substitute for real action.
“You don’t create jobs by cutting infrastructure.
“You don’t drive innovation by sacking CSIRO scientists and charging $100,000 for a university degree.
“You don’t create first-class small businesses, with a second-rate NBN.
“And you never grow the economy by shrinking opportunity.
“Friends, the Liberals have got a slogan — Labor has a plan.
“We understand in Labor that when a person loses their job, that is tough, looking for work in a changing economy is hard.
“The older you are, the tougher it can be.
“We choose Australian wages, Australian apprentices, local jobs, local content, local skills.”
“We respect our older Australians who want to keep working.
“We will invest in your work ethic, your experience, your potential.
“We will not see a generation of older Australians thrown on the scrapheap.
“We will not give up on you — we will not leave you behind.
“We are investing in your work, your potential — we are backing you to keep making a great contribution to this country.
“We need you.
“Friends, Labor will always fight for fairness in the workplace:
– Penalty rates for people working today
– Safe rates so truckies don’t cut corners on long distance hauls despite what Mr Turnbull says.
– Fairness in the workplace requires closing the gender pay gap between women and men.
– And underpinning the foundation of the fair go alround — a strong national minimum wage.
“That’s what we believe in.
“We choose Australian wages, Australian apprentices, local jobs, local content, local skills.
“Because I believe in a country where ‘made in Australia’ still means something on July 3rd.
“Nothing less will do,” the Labor leader added.
This article originally appeared in the Labor Herald.
