Party leader launches campaign with pledge to deliver ‘real change’ to help lift wages and cut tax evasion

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Bill Shorten has outlined his pitch to become the country’s next prime minister, telling the party faithful that a new Labor government will deliver a “bolder, better, more equal Australia”.

Pledging to “sharpen the argument” as the two parties embarked on the final fortnight of campaigning, and a new opinion poll showed Labor maintaining its lead over the Coalition – Shorten outlined a suite of changes that would deliver what he called “fair-go economics” if elected on 18 May.

As Shorten launched Labor’s campaign in Brisbane, a new Ipsos poll published on Sunday night put Labor in front of the Coalition on a two party-preferred basis 52% to 48%. The survey suggests Shorten has improved his standing with voters during the campaign.

“More of the same is simply not good enough for Australians,” Shorten said at the party’s official campaign launch in Brisbane on Sunday.

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“And nowhere is this more clear or more urgent than the economy – our economy is not working in the interests of working people.”

Arguing “real change” was needed to lift wages, stop tax evasion and address cost-of-living concerns, Shorten said “trickle down” economics had failed working people over the past six years while the Coalition had been in power.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bill and Chloe Shorten in Brisbane on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

On wages, Shorten said Labor would restore penalty rates, legislate a living wage, intervene to pay childcare workers more and put in place incentives for businesses to invest and employ more.

“If we win this election, our priority is not making the rich very richer. It is getting wages moving again for working people, starting with laws to reinstate our penalty rates in the first 100 days,” Shorten said.

“No Australian adult who works full-time should be trapped in poverty.”

Ahead of the launch, Labor announced it would expand the Australian Investment Guarantee if it formed government, which Shorten said would be a “win-win”. He said the policy would be good for business and would deliver an increase in wages to workers of up to $1,500.

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“That’s what I’m talking about – a win for business, a win for the workers and a win for the economy as a whole because more money in the pockets of wage earners means more trade for the shops in the high street, more confidence across the board.”

The tax incentive allows businesses to immediately deduct 20% of any new investment worth more than $20,000, which will cost $3.3bn over the forward estimates.

In a bid to tackle youth unemployment and the problem of older Australians struggling to find work, Shorten announced a new incentive for employers to take on younger and older workers.

Under the proposal, companies with turnover of less than $10m operating for more than two years would be eligible for a 30% tax deduction for up to five new workers’ salaries. The incentive would apply for their first year of employment, capped at $50,000 per company.

“Our new jobs tax cut is an investment in the potential of our young, it’s an investment in the experience of older Australians, it’s an investment in participation for parents and carers.

“This is fair-go economics at its very finest.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Former prime ministers Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating in Brisbane on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Promoting Labor’s health and education spending promises, Shorten announced $500m to upgrade and expand emergency departments at Australia’s hospitals and pledged to boost commonwealth hospital funding to the states.

In a major new revenue measure, Shorten also announced a crackdown on tax loopholes for multinationals which he said would claw back $2.3bn over the medium term and $680m over the forward estimates.

The policy would stop multinationals from getting a tax deduction when they pay royalties to offshore entities, a practice that allows company to “treaty shop” to different jurisdictions, such as the Cayman Islands.

“If you think that your family’s health is more important than a multinational company’s tax avoidance strategies, then your decision on 18 May is very easy, indeed,” Shorten said.

“Vote for a Labor government to put the health of Australians ahead of the tax rorts at the top end of town”.

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Shorten also used much of his speech to attack the Coalition’s record of “cuts and chaos”, pointing to the Liberals’ inaction on climate change and leadership tensions of the past three years.

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Telling voters to prepare for a scare campaign in the final 13 days of the election campaign, Shorten said Labor was putting “hope over fear” while acknowledging its policy agenda was “ambitious”.

“It aims high, as the people of Australia aim high for themselves.

“We are choosing hope over fear. We are choosing the future over the past. We are choosing a real plan over petulant name-calling and scare campaigns, because we won’t accept second best for Australia.”

Before Shorten took to the stage, high-profile frontbenchers Penny Wong and Tanya Plibersek addressed the crowd, talking up Shorten’s role as a unifying leader and promoting the Labor team.

Plibersek, Labor’s deputy leader, said the party was “determined to see a Shorten Labor government” and praised the leader as the “right person” to become prime minister.

Plibersek also led the party’s attack on the Coalition, calling Morrison a “failed ad guy” who talks “so much but he has so little to say”.

“He has no ideas, no solutions, no vision, no courage to act on climate change. His only plan is to keep wages low while giving millionaires and multinationals even bigger tax breaks,” Plibersek said.

“This is the guy who spent the last three years trying to give billions of dollars to big business and the big banks, and now he wants to give $77bn to the people on the very highest incomes, but he won’t say what he’s going to cut to pay for it.”

Reinforcing the message of unity, former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard both attended the launch, sitting alongside Paul Keating. Bob Hawke, who was too ill to attend the rally, sent a message of support that was read to the crowd by Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk.

In an unusual move, Chloe Shorten introduced her husband to the stage, saying he was “caring, smart, funny and gentle”.