Andrew Leigh

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

FIONA PHILLIPS, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR GILMORE 

LABOR FOCUSES ON INEQUALITY AND POVERTY IN GILMORE

Poverty and inequality are significant issues in Gilmore, and the Turnbull Government is not doing enough to address regional disadvantage.

We met today with the Shoalhaven Anti-Poverty Committee, to discuss the challenges in the Gilmore electorate of social disadvantage.

As the group wrote in their 2013 report, “connectedness, engagement and participation on a number of levels are strong common themes in socially inclusive communities.”

Sadly, the Abbott-Turnbull Government has overseen slow wages growth and problems of housing affordability. They have cut income support for pensioners, and now want to raise income taxes for workers on average wages

Since the mid-1970s, real wages have grown by 72 per cent for the top tenth of workers. Australia's home ownership rate is now at a six-decade low and investors are beating out first home buyers at auctions across Australia.

As Shadow Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government Stephen Jones has noted, 'things are going backwards and we need to have in place strategies that are going to turn that around'.

Rates of volunteering and donating have dropped off in recent years, while Australians are less likely to join community organisations or play organised sports.

Labor wants to reverse both trends.

Labor will tackle inequality through fair tax reforms, needs-based school funding and defending universal health care.

We believe in increasing social, civic and economic participation as we work towards more inclusive and equal society for all Australians.

FRIDAY, 25 AUGUST 2017