Politics

‘The 60-year-old is entitled to aspire to get a better job’: Turnbull

Jun 19, 2018

Turnbull described the Labor Party ad as "mean-spirited". Source: Getty.

Malcolm Turnbull has seemingly suggested that over-60s should get better paid jobs if they want better tax breaks.

The prime minister made his remarks during question time on Tuesday, where he engaged in a heated debate with Opposition leader Bill Shorten about the government’s proposed $144 billion personal income tax plan.

The Labor party decided to oppose the final two stages of the plan, but not before engaging in a political slanging match for the ages.

Responding to a question from Shorten about whether aged care workers become wealthy bankers if they want better tax breaks, the prime minister replied with a smile: “The 60-year-old aged-care worker in Burnie is entitled to aspire to get a better job.”

He also said workers were “entitled to get a promotion, and earn more” if they wanted to take advantage of the all the tax system has to offer.

The comments didn’t sit well with Shorten, who later tweeted his disgust.

"Get a better job". This Prime Minister's message to working and middle class people. Disgraceful. #auspol pic.twitter.com/xMwQbcukvF

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) June 19, 2018

“’Get a better job’. This Prime Minister’s message to working and middle class people. Disgraceful,” Shorten tweeted. “The 60-year-old aged care worker in Burnie shouldn’t have to ‘get a better job’ to get a better tax cut, or a modicum of respect, from this prime minister.”

The 60-year-old aged care worker in Burnie shouldn't have to "get a better job" to get a better tax cut, or a modicum of respect, from this prime minister.

— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) June 19, 2018

The insults didn’t stop there, with both leaders turning the session into a sledging match. Both began hurling insults at each other as they continued to disagree, with Turnbull appearing to take offence to being called a “snob”, reports The Daily Telegraph.

“He took three trips overseas, he drank the champagne, he sucked up to the big end of town. He sold out the workers and you know what, Mr Speaker?” Turnbull said.

“I had seen a lot of wealthy people in my days, and … I have never seen anybody more sycophantic in the presence of a billionaire than a Labor politician, and none more so than this sycophant, … this man who abandoned workers while he tucked his knees under the table and sucked up to Dick Pratt right up until it was no longer useful for him to do it. No integrity, no consistency, no loyalty.”

Turnbull later accused Shorten of holding back workers who aspired to higher paying jobs by blocking tax cuts for wealthier Australians and clarified that he thought every Australian was “entitled to aspire to have great ambitions, and high hopes to seek to do their best, to seek to get the best job, the biggest business, to realise their dreams”.

The spat comes just a day after the latest Newspoll showed support for Turnbull as the country’s prime minister was at an all-time high.

While Turnbull came out on top as the preferred national leader, his government is still trailing behind Labor, with Monday’s results bringing the total to 34 consecutive losing Newspolls for the Coalition under Turnbull’s leadership.