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Govt targeting the poor: Labor, Greens say

Labor and the Greens say the federal government needs to target the top end of town if it wants to fix the budget.

Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison stands at a podium as he delivers his Bloomberg address in Sydney, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AAP Image/David Moir) NO ARCHIVING

Treasurer Scott Morrison has warned of a $1 trillion debt blowout if budget measures are not passed. (AAP) Source: AAP

Labor and the Greens are staring down the treasurer's warnings of a $1 trillion debt blowout, demanding Scott Morrison stop targeting the poor.

The treasurer has warned of a $1 trillion debt blowout in the next decade should the new parliament fail to back his budget savings measures, insisting there's a new divide between "the taxed and the taxed nots".

"What he didn't really mention was the taxed and the tax avoiders," Greens leader Richard Di Natale told ABC radio on Friday.

"There are ways to do this without hurting the poor."

Senator Di Natale and senior Labor figure Anthony Albanese said the government should instead be targeting negative gearing.

The government had conceded there were "excesses" when it came to negative gearing and yet wasn't prepared to do anything about it, Mr Albanese said.

"What we won't support is just hitting those people who are most vulnerable, while leaving intact the big end of town," he told the Nine Network.

The government needed to stop "hiding" the legislation from Labor if it wanted the opposition's support.

"People are sick of hyperpartisanship," he said.

Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne insists Labor already knows what's in the government's omnibus savings bill because it includes policies Labor took to the election.

"You know what they are because they were your measures," he said.

"Labor needs to vote for that if they're going to have any credibility on the economy at all."


2 min read

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Updated

Source: AAP



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