(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has declared Treasurer Joe Hockey's second Budget as a hoax on Australians that lacks any long-term vision.
He made the remarks in his Budget-reply speech to parliament, two days after the Treasurer's budget speech.
Zara Zaher has the details.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
Bill Shorten told parliament Joe Hockey had focused on short-term goals, in a Budget with 17 new taxes and a deficit that had doubled in 12 months to $35 billion.
He described the Budget as an experiment in hope over experience.
"In every respect, this Budget is a hoax. It is an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of Australians. Where it counts, this is last year's Budget, re-branded, reheated and repackaged for an opinion poll. The same broken promises, the same unfair extreme ideology wrapped in trickery. Last year's Budget cut $6,000 from families working hard to make ends meet. Those cuts are still in this Budget. And Labor will never support them. (Hear, hear)."
Mr Shorten said this year's Budget had repeated what he called the meanest of spirit and spitefulness of the harsh Budget 12 months earlier.
He said the government had maintained billions of dollars in cuts to health and aged care, and to Indigenous housing - and had introduced new cuts that affected families and workers.
"They are at it again, this Government. Cutting family support to pay for childcare, pitting mums and dads of 3 and 4-year-olds against mum and dads of 6 and 7-year-olds. Forcing nurses and police and retailers to spend more time home with their baby or get a cut to their pay. In just one year this Prime Minister has gone from a staunchest defender of Paid Parental Leave, his signature scheme, to vilifying tens of thousands of women who rely upon it. From praising women of calibre, to demonising rorters and frauds, that is how quickly this Prime Minister reverts to type about women in the workforce. It confirms what we've always known - no employee, no employer, no family can ever trust this Prime Minister with their rights at work (hear, hear!)."
Mr Shorten offered bipartisan support for some of the Budget provisions - for example for those relating to national security and drought relief for farmers.
But he said Joe Hockey had not gone far enough in offering a 1.5 per cent tax cut for small business - calling instead for a much larger cut.
"A 1.5 per cent cut for small businesses might be enough to generate a headline but it's not enough to generate the long-term confidence and long-term growth our economy needs. So tonight I say let's go further. Let's give small businesses the sustainable boost to confidence that they deserve. The confidence to create jobs. I invite you to work with me on a fair and fiscally responsible plan to reduce the tax rate for Australian small business from 30 to 25 per cent, not a 1.5 per cent cut, a 5 per cent cut. That's the future, that's confidence! Now I understand that this will not be easy and it may take longer than the life of one Parliament. That's why it must be bipartisan and it has to be fair."
The Opposition leader also used his speech to suggest that Australia should be investing more in innovation, science and technology.
"Australia must get smarter or we will get poorer. I believe Australia can be the science start-up and technology capital of our region, attracting the best minds, supporting great institutions and encouraging home our great expats. We should aspire together - universities and industry, the people and the Parliament to devote 3% of our GDP to research and development by the end of the next decade. (Hear, hear!)."
Mr Shorten made only one brief mention to the possibility that the government may have crafted the Budget with the possibility of a double dissolution election in mind.
He said if this was to be an election Budget, well so be it.
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