2016-09-12
Australian Greens Leader Senator Di Natale and Spokesperson for Community Services Senator Siewert have spoken out against the cruel cuts issued by the Turnbull Government as part of the Omnibus Bill.
Senator Di Natale said the crossbench has joined the Australian Greens to stand up against the cruel cuts from the Government.
“This is the old Abbott axe coming down on the health of families and children, to balance the budget that provides benefits for the richest,” Senator Di Natale said.
“It doesn’t have to be an unfair choice, we could balance the budget and provide vital services for Australians, invest in clean technology and maintain dental care for young Australians, if the Turnbull government chose instead to cut unfair subsidies for the wealthy and giant corporations.
“The Greens will invest in a fairer Australia, a cleaner future and funded dental for our kids. When will Shorten and Labor stand up too? Why are Labor considering trashing their legacy by cutting clean energy research and kids dental care?
“The ghost of Tony Abbott holds the axe over the renewable future for Australia. This is typical Turnbull, beholden to the backbench. The Crossbench won’t stand for it and we have called a public hearing today so that the drastic reality these cuts will impose is exposed,” Senator Di Natale said.
Senator Siewert said:
“Off the back off unrelenting cuts from successive Governments, once again vulnerable people are being targeted for so called savings with this Bill.
“According to Peter Whiteford, of the $6.1 billion in ‘savings’ in the Omnibus bill, around half sits squarely with hacking at income support payments. I’m glad we at least have an opportunity to hear from stakeholders today to go over just what those cuts will mean.
“We’ve known that people on income support will lose their energy supplement, but there are a lot more cuts hidden in the bill that will face scrutiny today. The community deserves to be heard and I am glad stakeholders are offering their expertise today, even if they were not given the opportunity with a proper inquiry”.