Mr BRIAN MITCHELL (Lyons) (15:41): What an extraordinary contribution! There are some terms that are unparliamentary, so I won't say what they are. Workers on low and middle incomes in this country were held hostage by this government. Like the cowards that they are, they put the low- and middle-income earners of this country in front of their bodies and said, 'If you don't vote for the entire tax package that will give politicians and high-income earners a $7,000-a-year tax cut, you don't get the tax cut for low- and middle-income earners. If there's no tax cut for high-income earners, you don't get the tax cut for low-income earners.' That's what this government said. It's an absolute disgrace. They held low- and middle-income earners hostage to their big tax cuts for the big end of town. In the electorate of Braddon in Tasmania, 39,000 people earn less than $125,000 a year. The tax cut for these workers in Braddon was held hostage so that the Prime Minister and the company directors of Sydney could get their tax cuts. This government is simply not interested in workers. It was willing to sacrifice the tax relief for workers, if the tax cuts for high-income earners did not pass this parliament. The Liberals' high-income tax cuts give every member of this place and the other place, including Senator Hanson, a $7,000-a-year tax cut. Members on this side of the House voted not to give ourselves a $7,000-a-year tax cut. We think that money is better placed in the pockets of low- and middle-income earners. Under us, low- and middle-income earners would get a tax cut of around $900 a year, nearly doubling the low- and middle-income earner tax cuts that the government is providing low- and middle-income earners—$500 under you; $900 under us. That's the difference, and we wouldn't be giving tax cuts to the big end of town. Mr Tim Wilson: Double the money doesn't count! Mr BRIAN MITCHELL: No—come on, 'Freedom Boy', you've had your go. We heard you with the member for Griffith—with your so-called commitment to freedom of speech—and you were trying to gag her. This government is all about giving more money to people who already have it. That's what this government is all about. In everything it does, this government is about giving more money to people who already have it. It believes absolutely, down to its bones, in trickle-down—that failed philosophy that says: if you give money to rich people, it will end up one day in the pockets of poor people. It hasn't worked throughout human history. 'But it'll work now. We'll give it another go. It hasn't worked for centuries, but it'll work now.' They're convinced: give more money to the rich people, and one day poor people will benefit. The evidence says otherwise. If this government cared about workers, it would care about wages, but wages growth is at record lows—around 2.1 per cent growth. Company profits are at 5.8 per cent. According to this government, when companies earn a higher profit it's meant to mean higher wages, but it's not happening. There is 2.1 per cent growth in wages and 5.8 per cent growth in company profits. Where is the pay-off for workers under this government? It's not there. Companies can continue to get the profits and workers continue to pay the price. If this government cared about workers, it would care about penalty rates, but penalty rates have been cut for 700,000 workers. This is costing workers in low-income and insecure workplaces at least $70 a week, depending on their shifts. And on 1 July, workers' penalty rates will be cut again by 15 per cent. Since the cuts started last year, consumer spending has declined. Maybe that's because workers have less money to spend. And remember last year when this government said, 'We'll cut penalty rates and all these jobs will emerge because employers will have all this extra money'? It hasn't happened. It has not happened! This government fails workers— Mr Tim Wilson: Monopoly money doesn't count! The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Hogan ): The member for Goldstein is warned! Mr BRIAN MITCHELL: They support cuts to penalty rates; they argue against an increase to the minimum wage; they've legislated to stop workers and employers agreeing to limit labour hire; and they've voted against Labor proposals to make big business liable for underpayment of workers along the supply chain and by subcontractors. On every measure, the list is endless of how this government has failed the workers of this country, and especially the workers of Tasmania.