ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT
Everyone knows that Labor and the Liberals have refused to face key economic challenges over recent parliaments despite them having parliamentary majorities. As respected independent economist Chris Richardson put it “we have both sides of politics now promising mediocrity and I believe their promises”. (6 February 2025)
Cost of living, taxation, intergenerational inequity, housing, climate and accountability are beyond their capacity to address. I will hold their feet to the fire.
My Priorities
Index tax brackets and broader tax reform
Workplace relations simplification and other productivity growth measures
Better infrastructure accountability
Increase JobSeeker
Getting Things Done
As your Curtin Independent MP, I’m proud to have helped deliver results for our community.
Supported Stage 3 tax cuts
Proposed a bracket creep solution in Parliament
Introduced amendments to limit union powers in the workplace
Called both sides to address tax reform
Australia has experienced a long period of prosperity, but there are significant challenges ahead and little economic reform has been implemented in recent years.
Our tax system needs to be fit for purpose as we face an ageing population, global trade uncertainty and a decarbonising world, but neither party is willing to prioritise long-term thinking over the next election.
Structural deficit and tax reform
Notwithstanding the past two surpluses, the federal budget is projected to be in deficit for the next decade. This is driven by expected increases in the cost of health, aged care and the NDIS. There are also likely to be increased defence spending needs, given the current global uncertainty. Over the economic cycle, we need revenue to equate to spending, or we are borrowing from future generations.
Our ageing population changes the structure of our economy – our heavy reliance on income tax means working Australians are being relied upon to support a growing older population, particularly with health and aged care.
In the short term, indexing tax brackets would stop real average tax rates increasing each year and require governments to fully account for new spending. In the longer term, broad tax reform is needed, as foreseen by Ken Henry more than a decade ago.
Neither party is willing to discuss this growing problem. My crossbench colleague Allegra Spender identifies many of the issues that need to be addressed in her Tax Reform Green Paper.
You can hear me speak in Parliament on this issue here.
Productivity
Productivity growth means we can maintain and improve our living standards – it is about doing more with less. In the last decade productivity growth has been the slowest in 60 years and there are challenges ahead, with more climate-change driven natural disasters, less free trade and an ageing population.
This is partially driven by the growing role of services in our economy (where productivity gains are harder to achieve) and in some sectors, such as construction, productivity is actually in decline.
Fixing this problem requires long term thinking – workplace relations simplification, innovation in business and education and skilled migration prioritisation.
You can hear me speak in Parliament on this issue here.
Intergenerational inequity
Young people are no longer confident that their standard of living will exceed their parents.
With unaffordable housing, large student debts, an ageing population and climate change, governments need to be ensuring that our economy is set up to give young people the same opportunities as their parents.
You can hear me speak in Parliament on this issue here.
Hear from me on the economy here.
