Crossbencher criticises budget measures, saying he will not be pressured into ‘selling out’ those who will be hurt most

The Democratic Labour party senator, John Madigan, has called on the Abbott government to “stop using families as a punching bag” and start a proper dialogue with crossbenchers over its budget measures.



In a speech to the Senate that underlined the challenges facing the government in securing the passage of key policies, Madigan said the Coalition was not interested in finding workable solutions or compromising.

He also criticised budget measures including the Medicare co-payment, the Newstart changes, the “ideologically driven” higher education overhaul and the loss of family payments.

“I challenge the government tonight: if you are serious about getting the nation back on track, then begin dialogue with the crossbench,” Madigan said. “Stop using families as a punching bag. Let's have a meeting. Let's sit down and discuss common ground more than just a couple of days out from when we are expected to vote on legislation.”

After the Senate composition changes next month the government needs to secure support from six out of eight crossbench senators to ensure the passage of any legislation opposed by Labor and the Greens.



Billions of dollars of the government’s proposed budget savings were placed under threat on Tuesday when with Labor confirmed its opposition to more than half of the welfare reforms and the Greens revealed they would oppose the indexation of the fuel excise.

The Palmer United party leader, Clive Palmer, whose four-member Senate voting bloc is crucial to the government’s chances of securing legislation, is set to make an announcement on the party’s position on Wednesday night ahead of a meeting with Tony Abbott on Thursday.

Madigan, another crossbench senator, said he was “not prepared to horse trade” or to be taken for a fool but was willing “to negotiate with the government to find the savings needed to get the budget back in the black”.

“But I will not be bludgeoned into selling out those people who can least afford cuts,” Madigan told the Senate on Tuesday night. “I am not going to sell out the most vulnerable in our society. So far I have a clear impression of the government's approach to this budget. It is not interested in finding workable solutions and it is not interested in compromise.

“Only a few hours ago I received briefing information on several bills that will be introduced into the parliament. All up, they equate to around 650 pages and this is just four bills out of more than a dozen that will come across the Senate in ensuing weeks. This should really shine a light on how impractical their approach is to consultation and negotiation.”

Madigan accused the government of resorting to “abuse and derision and threats of a double dissolution”.

He said he could not understand how the government thought the proposed Medicare co-payments in their current form were reasonable and affordable. He also could not understand how it was reasonable, when calculating the time young people must wait to access Newstart, “not to recognise formal study in higher education as work”.

“I do not understand how they expect some people to live for six months without payment, even when they want to work,” Madigan said.

“I do not understand how the government is prepared to rip out thousands of dollars from families at a time when families are doing it tough. The government wants families to pay more for fuel and more for visiting the doctor, all the while expecting an economic downturn with huge predicted job losses across so many sectors. This is impractical, illogical and bizarre.”

The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, said it was too soon to speculate on the outcome of budget measures, pointing to the fact that Labor supported the temporary budget repair levy after initially criticising it and the Greens opposed the fuel excise indexation after initially backing it.

Cormann told the ABC on Wednesday the government would engage constructively and positively with all parties and senators. He said the budget measures were required to deal with the nation’s “debt and deficit disaster”.



The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said Labor would not bully the crossbench senators but added that it was government senators who were “deeply uncomfortable” with elements of the budget.

“I do not know how this government can think it is fair that on one hand every time an Australian family goes to the petrol station they will be paying a new tax to be collected for Tony Abbott, yet on the other we will see multimillionaires receiving $50,000 they don't need for this expensive white elephant paid parental leave scheme, merely because Tony Abbott is too arrogant to admit he is wrong,” Shorten said.

Abbott said the government was determined to get the budget through and was “confident” about the prospects of passing key measures.

“We may not get it through the first time or even the second time, but I think we will get it through,” the prime minister told Sky News on Tuesday night.

“You have seen in various governments that sometimes it does take a while to get parts of the budget through both houses of parliament … I mean a lot of people have been talking about fairness, well I tell you there is nothing fair in saddling our children and our grandchildren with tens of thousands of dollars in commonwealth debt – per head – that they have to help repay.”

