Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks says the Federal Budget will put more money in the pockets of Central Coast households and generate local jobs, but Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill says one of its biggest failings is the lack of provision for childcare.
“(The Budget) will create jobs, rebuild our economy and secure Australia’s future, including across the Central Coast,” Wicks said.
“Taxpayers across the Central Coast will get a tax cut backdated to July 1 this year.
“This means more money in the pockets of local households to assist with the cost of living, but also to help generate economic activity and create jobs.”
Wicks said the Budget announcements built on the Government’s unprecedented investment in the health and economic response to COVID-19.
“By bringing the Budget back to balance for the first time in 11 years and maintaining our AAA credit rating we entered the crisis from a position of economic strength, providing us with the fiscal firepower to respond when we needed it most,” she said.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, the Government has provided $257B in direct economic support to cushion the blow and strengthen the recovery.
“The 2020-21 Budget commits a further $98B including: $25B in direct COVID-19 response measures and $74B in new measures to create jobs.
“The JobMaker Hiring Credit will be payable immediately to employers who hire eligible employees.
“This Budget is investing a record amount in skills and training to make sure Central Coast job seekers have the skills they need to get a job.
“We are also further assisting first home buyers and the construction sector by extending the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme to another 10,000 places and providing an additional $1B of low-cost finance to support the construction of affordable housing.”
Wicks said incentives for businesses to invest in their business will create more economic activity and jobs in the Central Coast community.
She said the Government was delivering record infrastructure investment, expanding its 10-year infrastructure pipeline to $110B, and supporting a further 40,000 jobs nationally.
But Senator O’Neill said Labor has been advocating for tax cuts to be brought forward for over a year.
“What I’m really disappointed about is the fact there is nothing in this Budget for childcare,” she said.
“Families across the Central Coast know how critical childcare is and I don’t think Lucy Wicks actually understands how important childcare is for working families and how underpaid childcare workers are for the critical work they do.
“People across the Central Coast should be asking Lucy Wicks why young families are being disadvantaged when it comes to the cost of childcare.
“They funded it before, why won’t they fund it again?”
Meanwhile, Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Budget did not do enough to create jobs.
“The Government expects another 160,000 Australians to be added to the jobless queues by Christmas,” Chalmers said in a statement.
Terry Collins