Lidia Thorpe slams the federal budget and claims it completely ignores one group of Australians
Lidia Thorpe has blasted the Albanese government's budget, claiming it primarily benefits the rich through tax cuts while leaving First Nations people worse off. The former Greens senator unleashed on Treasurer Jim Chalmers the morning after the budget was handed down in parliament house on Tuesday night. 'Well done Jim. You delivered a budget that is in surplus and you've done it while giving tax cuts to the rich,' she sarcastically began in a post on . The cuts Senator Thorpe is referring to are the stage three tax cuts that scrap the 37 per cent marginal tax bracket, lowers the 32.5 per cent tax rate to 30 per cent and creates a new top marginal tax rate of 45 per cent for those earning over $200,000. It means everyone who makes between $45,000 and $200,000 will pay the same marginal tax rate. These cuts have been proven to primarily benefit the wealthy, with far greater tax cuts provided to high-income workers compared to those who earn less. Aussies making more than $200,000 will receive a $9,075 tax cut, while someone who earns $80,000 would get back just $875. 'The slow clap you hear is from the millions of Australians who have been told their battles to put food on the table and a roof over their heads is their burden to bear,' Senator Thorpe continued in her tweet. 'The cries of despair you hear are from the hundreds of thousands of First Nations people who now know that their hardships will increase, their incarceration will increase and their suffering will increase.' She then mocked the government over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. 'But don't worry, we're gonna have a Voice...' she said. 'The word justice receives only six mentions in this budget and indeed it is a budget poor in delivering justice.' 'This budget fails in delivering First Nations justice, social justice, environmental justice, what you call criminal justice, justice for refugees and housing justice,' she added. Between October and December this year, Australians will be asked via a referendum requiring a compulsory vote whether they support the establishment of the Voice to Parliament. In order to pass, a referendum needs more than 50 per cent support both nationally and in at least four of the six states. Consequently only eight of 44 referenda have succeeded in Australian history. Labor's budget handed out cost of living relief to the vulnerable and included an increase to the JobSeeker payment, financial support for parents and up to $500 in energy bill relief. Huge tax cuts have been given to the wealthy, while major sectors of middle Australia have been left out. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has remained adamant the government had no intentions to make changes to the stage three tax cuts. 'We understand in those stage three tax cuts, they kick in at $45,000 and they go right up the income scale,' he told 2GB's Ben Fordham on his radio show on Wednesday. 'And we think it is important that when the budget can afford it, that we provide tax relief, particularly for people on low and middle incomes. 'And that's why we haven't changed our position on stage three there in the budget that I handed down last night and we didn't consider changing them in this budget.'