Adam Bandt: Labor’s 2024 Budget – Budget Night Reaction
Labor’s budget is a betrayal of everyone doing it tough, throwing people to the wolves while corporations get richer.
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Transcript:
We’re here with the team going over the fine print of Labor’s budget. We’ll have more to say as the figures become clearer, but what we know so far is this: this budget is a betrayal of everyone in this country who is doing it tough.
Some facts hot off the press. The Government says for housing, well there’s no funding for a rent freeze. They say they’ve got an extra $6 billion additional funding for housing. But over that period, there’s $175 billion going in tax handouts to the wealthy and property investors that are denying renters the chance to buy their own home.
On climate, the Government says $5 billion being spent on climate initiatives, but $50 billion going in fossil fuel subsidies that are going to keep fossil fuels in our system for longer. Part of Labor’s strategy for keeping coal and gas out past 2050.
On defence, while millions of people around the world at the moment are marching and pushing for peace, is over three quarters of $1 trillion, over $760 billion being spent on submarines and war.
Meanwhile this budget keeps millions of people in poverty with no increase to the rate of JobSeeker or Youth Allowance.
There’s cuts to the NDIS. Which means budget surplus being built off the back of attacks on disabled people.
And meanwhile, there’s no new funding for frontline services for women who are fleeing family and domestic violence.
This budget could have been so much better and delivered for everyday people if Labor had the guts to take on the big corporations and make them pay their fair share, but instead Labor has betrayed people doing it tough.