Senator Catryna Bilyk eBulletin #48
Monday, 14 May 2018
A budget for big business over battlers
The Liberal Government has delivered its last budget before the next Federal Election. After five years of promoting multinationals and millionaires over low- and middle‑income Australians Malcolm Turnbull had a chance to bring fairness to Government policy and he failed. The 2018-19 Budget locks in an $80 billion tax cut for big business, $17 billion in cuts to schools, cuts to hospitals and a Medicare rebate freeze for specialist services. The Government is proceeding with their cut to the energy supplement, costing pensioners $14 a fortnight, and still wants to force Australians to work until they are 70.
There are also new cuts, including a further $80 million to the ABC and $270 million to TAFE.
The Government’s package of 14,000 aged care places over four years is a cruel hoax. It is funded by cuts to residential aged care and will barely make a dent in the in-home care waiting list of 100,000 Australians.
Malcolm Turnbull has also failed on economic management. Despite $40 billion in additional revenue, net debt has doubled since the Liberals came to office, and gross debt has reached half a trillion dollars for the first time in history and will remain well above half a trillion dollars for the next decade.
…but Australia can do better
Labor Leader Bill Shorten delivers his Budget Reply in Parliament on Thursday night.
Bill Shorten’s Budget Reply outlined how a Labor Government can deliver on our commitments to everyday Australians because, unlike Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals, we won’t give $80 billion to big business and the banks.
A Shorten Labor Government will deliver:
- Bigger and fairer tax cuts for 10 million working Australians.
- More funding to public hospitals.
- 20 new MRI machines in regional centres and outer suburbs providing 500,000 extra scans funded by Medicare.
- Remove the cap on university places so more young people can achieve their aspirations.
- Abolish up-front fees for 100,000 TAFE places in courses where Australia needs the skills.
You can watch the full video of Bill Shorten’s Budget Reply here.
Braddon By-Election
 The Braddon by-election is an opportunity for voters in the North West and West Coast of our state to send a message to the Turnbull Government that they reject his prioritisation of billionaires over battlers.
I will be campaigning strongly for the re-election of Justine Keay—a strong advocate and hard-working representative for Braddon—and reminding Braddon voters of the legacy of five years of the Liberals’ cruel cuts and Government, including:
- $14 million in cuts to Braddon schools;
- $730,000 cut from the North-West Regional Hospital;
- Many West Coast residents being left with a second rate fibre-to-the-node NBN when they would have received fibre-to-the-premises under Labor’s original plan.
I outlined the impacts of five years of cuts and neglect on the electorate of Braddon in this speech to the Senate.
Work commences on Kingston High School site
Artist’s impression of the new community hub building. Source: Kingborough Council website
The State and Federal Liberal Governments recently celebrated the commencement of work on Kingborough Council’s Kingston Park development on the site of the old Kingston High School.
In 2012, Federal Member for Franklin Julie Collins, and the then Labor Government, committed $5 million in funding to the project. While we are pleased to see the project going ahead, it is unfortunate that the State and Federal Liberals’ inaction on funding has led to extensive delays.
Public service cuts
Since coming to office, the Turnbull Government has cut over 700 Australian Public Service (APS) positions from Tasmania, reducing these jobs by almost a quarter. These cuts affect not only APS workers, but their families and the overall Tasmanian economy.
To add insult to injury, the Government has made plans to privatise visa services in the Department of Home Affairs. According to the CPSU, who I met with recently, not only does this have the potential to affect the jobs of over 100 Hobart-based workers, but the Government will be handing over sensitive visa data to a for-profit company, which poses a serious risk to Australia’s national security.
I and my Tasmanian Federal Labor colleagues have written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull expressing our concerns about the loss of APS jobs in Tasmania. I have also written separately to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and delivered this speech in the Senate about the Government’s misguided privatisation agenda.
I met with CPSU Regional Secretary, Madeline Northam, and representatives of the CPSU to discuss their concerns about the Government’s privatisation of visa services.
The ASU’s domestic violence leave pledge
As a former industrial officer and trainer for the Australian Services Union, I was pleased to visit my former workplace to sign their pledge to support the We Won’t Wait campaign. The campaign calls for 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave to be recognised as a universal right for all workers.
Labor has committed to include 10 days paid domestic violence leave in the National Employment Standards. Paid domestic violence leave gives victims of domestic violence the time they need to relocate, make financial and child care arrangements and seek legal advice.
I joined ASU staff and members to sign a pledge to support the We Won’t Wait campaign.
Democracy for sale (and going cheap!)
Last year Centre Alliance (formerly the Nick Xenophon Team) did a dirty deal with the Government to abolish the two-out-of-three cross media control rule. The rule provides that no individual or entity can control more than two of three media platforms (radio, television and print) in a broadcast area. In February this year, as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Future of Public Interest Journalism, I warned of the dire consequences of this deal for public interest journalism, and by extension, for the health of Australia’s democracy.
A bill was debated in the Senate last week to give effect to the Regional Publishing Innovation Fund, one of the products of this grubby deal. While Labor supported the bill, I outlined in my second reading speech how little the concessions extracted by Centre Alliance mattered in addressing the enormous damage done by the repeal of the two-out-of-three rule.
No jab, no pay extended
 The Government’s Family Assistance and Child Support Legislation Amendment (Protecting Children) Bill was debated in the Senate last week. One the provisions of the bill—supported by Labor—is to extend the No Jab, No Pay principle to recipients of Family Tax Benefit Part A. Previously, the provision only applied recipients of the FTB A supplement, which families earning $80,000 or more no longer receive. The low vaccination rates for children of families earning more than $80,000 means some encouragement is needed for these families to vaccinate their children.
In my second reading speech on the bill I explained that high rates of vaccination promote ‘herd immunity’ and have helped save thousands of children’s lives. I also criticised One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson for her dangerous encouragement of ill-informed and unscientific anti-vaccination sentiment.
In brief
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Women’s Budget Statement 2018
Labor’s Women’s Budget Statement outlines how the 2018 Budget will impact on women. There wasn’t a single mention of women in the Treasurer’s budget speech, nor were there any initiatives in the budget to advance gender equality or women’s rights and wellbeing.
You can download a copy of the Women’s Budget Statement online here.
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Banking Royal Commission Legal Assistance
The Australian Government is providing funding to assist individuals and entities (except for financial services entities) appearing at the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.
Visit the Attorney-General’s Department website for further information including application forms, or contact the Financial Assistance Section on 1800 117 995 or email finass@ag.gov.au.
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War on Waste Business Toolkit
The average business produces 849kg of waste per person per year. Planet Ark’s War on Waste Business Toolkit contains practical suggestions to reduce waste and save money in the process.
The toolkit is available online here.
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Advance Care Planning
Many Australians, when they have a life limiting illness or injury, don’t communicate their care wishes in advance. The best way to ensure you are cared for in accordance with your preferences is to write an Advance Care Directive, and to have a conversation with your loved ones about your palliative and end of life care choices.
I explained the importance of advance care planning, including starting these difficult conversations, in the latter half of this speech.
Information about advance care planning in Tasmania, including a link to an Advance Care Directive form, is available here.
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