Matters Accorded Priority

Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG ( Macquarie Fields ) ( 15:53 ): I am always amused when I hear my colleagues opposite talk about being the party for the workers. That is an oxymoron. The third point of the motion moved by the member for Wagga Wagga states:

(3) Welcomes the Government's commitment to addressing the cost of living pressures facing New South Wales families.

Let me introduce a simple economic concept—the marginal propensity to consume. That is, lower paid workers who earn more will spend a higher proportion of their marginal income on goods and services, which will allow more goods and services to be produced, more jobs to be created and more wages to be earned. However, those opposite now support pay cuts to the lowest paid workers, which places the greatest cost of living pressure on those on low incomes. Those workers spend more of their hard-earned low income—

Mr Troy Grant: I think you have got the wrong motion.

Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: I note the interjection of the former Deputy Premier. He obviously has not read the motion because the third point talks about the cost of living pressures. We are talking about issues that matter, particularly to those on low incomes. Government members spoke about being the party for the workers. They forgot a few words before those magical words—they are the party for reducing the pay of lowest paid workers and for increasing casual workers. They are the party that is silent when it comes to supporting people who work more hours but earn less. This is not right. If we want to talk about the cost of living pressures, we must talk about how people earn their income, particularly young and old people who work on Sundays. When I go to Bunnings on a Sunday, I see young and old people working hard. Those people rely on their Sunday penalty rates to relieve the cost of living pressures. It is not good enough that members opposite call themselves a party for the workers. They should be defending the rights of those hard workers on low incomes who have given up their valuable time because the only thing they have to trade is their own labour. This party has slashed their incomes and it is silent on the cost of living issue that matters most to those on low incomes. I have never heard a bigger oxymoron than Government members saying they are the party for workers.