Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has slammed government waste and torn into massive spending on submarines and intergalactic defence forces.
“We’ve got Buzz Lightyear playing on an imaginary space station. I don’t mind playing Woody here, but we are not prioritising,” Senator Lambie said on ABC’s Q&A on Thursday night.
“You’ve only got to look at those submarines – my goodness me, you might as well write them off, because by the time they’re built, they’re obsolete.
“Stop with the pipeline dreams that are never going to happen and get back to reality, and start helping people out, because that’s what needs to be done.”
In response to this week’s budget, Senator Lambie questioned who in parliament has “the guts” to do what is needed.
Asked about budget spending for the year ahead, Senator Lambie said those with less would be worse off.
She also took aim at tax cuts for the richest Australians, saying those earning less were getting a very different deal.
“It’s time to hit those big people who are already on enough money in this country, and make sure that ones down the bottom – we can sustain their living. That is what needs to be done.” Senator Lambie said.
“After this financial year, some of the lowest income earners – or all of them – are going to be paying a little bit more tax,” she said.
“Yet in 2024-25, those Stage 3 tax cuts for anybody earning over $200,000 is going to get a nice big tax cut of $9000.
“I have yet to hear from either side that they’ve got the guts to pull the plug on the Stage 3 tax cuts.”
She said alleged corporate rorting of the JobKeeper program was an example of the country flushing money down the drain.
“There were many corporate companies that ended up making massive profits and keeping what we gave them, and they didn’t actually need that money. That is not well targeted. That is a problem,” Senator Lambie said.
“Sometimes it takes courage. And where you lose votes, you will gain them with respect from others.”
