Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News NewsDay
Topics: industrial relations, tax
9 February 2024
E&OE.
Kieran Gilbert
Let’s turn now to the politics of the week. Joining me is the Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations, Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash. Let’s go to the industrial relations debate first up. Is the Coalition going to take this on as an election issue? I know since Work Choices it’s been sensitive for the Coalition to go hard on this, but do you feel that this is something that will form a platform for an election campaign?
Senator Cash
Well, we have always said we believe in the right of employers to be able to work with employees in their workplace and get the best possible outcome for both. What’s the one word, Kieran, that’s missing from Labor’s agenda? Productivity. If you actually don’t get productivity increases in the workplace, employers have two things that they can do – lay off people, or alternatively, not provide them with the higher incomes that we want them to. Just look at the front pages this morning, Kieran, it says it all. Labor keeps saying – Michaelia Cash running a scare campaign. Guess what? It’s the employers of Australia who are saying to Labor, the additional cost, complexity and confusion will mean one or possibly two things: we pass on costs to consumers, Australians pay more, or we lay people off. That is not a great outcome for Australians, Kieran.
Kieran Gilbert
Businesses are not putting on more people or it has a chilling effect on putting people on. Will you side with business in terms of a campaign now? Because I know you went hard in the Senate this week and your response has been critical. But there’s a difference between that and then elevating this for an election year.
Senator Cash
This is a cost of living issue. It is as simple as that. If you impose more cost, confusion and complexity on business, all you ultimately do is ensure people lose jobs – well, that’s not great for the people without a job – or businesses are not able to actually pay Australians the higher sustainable wages we want them to pay them. So for me, this is a cost of living issue.
Kieran Gilbert
So you’re moving on beyond that, sort of, Work Choices period?
Senator Cash
Very much so, because it’s a cost of living issue now. This is all about saying to the Australian people, we believe in you, we want a prosperity agenda. A prosperity agenda means employers work with employees to get the best possible outcome for both of those entities.
Kieran Gilbert
Is the right to disconnect, is that something that will resonate with a lot of people though?
Senator Cash
Kieran, it is almost madness that in 2024, when what do people want more than anything out of their workplace, flexibility, I want to be able to nip off, pick my kids up from school, I want to be able to go to the doctors, I want to be able to get my hair done, and Labor is saying we want to return the workplaces to nine to five, where you’ve got to actually sit there and at the end of the day, you’ve done your work, you don’t talk to your employer. It doesn’t reflect what employers, but more than that, employees want from today’s modern workplace.
Kieran Gilbert
Do you feel on the tax discussion, if we move on to that, you must have had a fair bit of feedback on this tax issue. Do you concede that it has proven popular?
Senator Cash
Oh, do Australians, because of the cost of living crisis, want more money in their back pocket? Hey, absolutely. But that is why the tax cuts will go through. We have made it very clear. We will take to the election a tax policy that is consistent with our principles, lower, fairer and simpler taxes, but more than that, tackles the insidious thief in the night bracket creep.
Kieran Gilbert
Will it be affordable as well?
Senator Cash
Yes it will be, because Peter’s been upfront. We will have to find the savings, absolutely. But we will do that. And let’s kill off any labor scare campaign now. It won’t be at the cost of essential services; we’ll be backing them in. But let’s look at, in terms of the parliamentary week, what did we actually learn? Well you’ve got a liar in the Lodge. Simple as that. You know the Prime Minister has been distracted now, for almost now going on two years. It was 18 months – one issue – his divisive Voice. The Prime Minister has come back in 2024 and said “holy shivers, there’s a cost of living crisis.” Well, I would say too little too late. There’s a liar in the Lodge and Australians now, and let’s face it, it’s the lead up to the election now, isn’t it? That’s basically where we are. How can you ever again trust anything Mr Albanese says?
Kieran Gilbert
Michaelia Cash, appreciate your time, see you soon.
Senator Cash
Always great to be with you.
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