Werriwa MP Laurie Ferguson says Prime Minister Tony Abbott is not serious about supporting Australian families and is only interested in saving his own skin.
“Tony Abbott yesterday refused to reverse his $5.5 billion in cuts to family payments. Instead he recommitted to his plan to rip up to $6,000 out of the pockets of families in Werriwa,’’ Mr Ferguson said of the PM’s Monday political lifeline speech at the National Press Club.
“If Tony Abbott gets his way, more than 15,700 families in Werriwa will face massive cuts to their family payments, will pay more for petrol, medicines and will be hit with Tony Abbott’s new GP tax,’’ said Mr Ferguson.
“That speech to the National Press Club was all politics, excuses and lacked policy. Abbott clearly has no plan for supporting Australian families.
“His real intentions for Australian families is in the budget.
• Families hit by $6,000 in cuts and new taxes.
• $5.5 billion in cuts to family payments.
• $1 billion in cuts to childcare.
“At the same time he is introducing new taxes which will put further pressure on families already struggling with the cost of living,’’ Mr Ferguson said.
“Abbott has clearly started an agenda to reduce penalty payments, that for some workers are 30 per cent of their wage and simultaneously softens up the electorate for a higher consumption tax.
“Tony Abbott’s claim that families will be ‘front and centre’ of his government is clearly just another political game.
“Just like he did with Paid Parental Leave, Tony Abbott is trying to use families in Werriwa and across the country for his own political ends.
“If the Prime Minister can’t deliver his signature Paid Parental Leave policy, he cannot be trusted to deliver anything,’’ Mr Ferguson said.
