Representatives from the local community today met Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh, and Member for Bass, Ross Hart, to discuss their concerns that Northern Tasmania is missing out on local jobs while the tax system continues to favour multinational companies and wealthy individuals.
“People in the Launceston community are really feeling the Turnbull Government cuts to childcare, aged care and education. Along with cuts to welfare and job-training programs, all of these decisions will increase inequality in Northern Tasmania,” said Mr Hart.
“They hear the government beat its chest every week about creating jobs – and they want to know why so many people in their community can’t find any work.
“The challenges this region face are being made harder by the Turnbull Government’s determination to spend more on cutting taxes for multinational companies and the big four banks rather than on higher education, better schools or better health and child care,” Mr Hart said.
Andrew Leigh said that the Turnbull Government’s refusal to recognize issues of rising inequality and declining living standards was harming working and middle class families.
“Income inequality in Australia is at a disturbing 75 year high while living standards are two per cent lower than when Labor left office,” said Dr Leigh.
“Child care costs are devouring the wages of working parents, wages growth is flat lining and productivity is at a standstill.
“These challenges are increasing while insecure work is on the rise and more and more Tasmanians worry about being off-shored, outsourced, contracted out or downsized.
“Labor’s priorities are to invest in schools, back public TAFE and Australian apprentices and protect Medicare – to ensure every Australian can see a doctor when they are sick and afford the medicine to make them better,” Dr Leigh said.
MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2016
MEDIA CONTACTS: TAIMUS WERNER-GIBBINGS (LEIGH) 0437 323 390
ADAM GORE (HART) 0405 950 578
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