Last night the Federal Government released the 2021 Budget.

The Budget was an opportunity for the Government to address systemic weaknesses in our workforce and economy. Instead, they have failed to tackle the biggest issues facing working Australians.

Handing billions of dollars to business – including in the critical areas of aged care, mental health and vocational training – with no requirements to improve the pay and conditions of their workers or create new reliable jobs, just doesn’t cut it.

This Budget will not fix our insecure work crisis and it won’t boost low wage growth. The Budget also fails to take real, decisive action to address gender inequality.

It contains $17.9 billion in tax write-offs for big business, and only $1.1 billion for women’s safety over the next four years.

The Morrison Government has missed the opportunity to make the big structural changes needed to improve the working lives of Australian women. Insecure and unreliable work, low wage growth and gender inequity do not happen by accident. They are the result of deliberate policy decisions taken by this Government, which have only been reinforced in this Budget.

This Budget continues the Government’s chaotic failure to deliver a comprehensive climate and energy plan that workers, their families and communities need. Failing to address these critical issues means that Australians are being left behind.

The Government keeps talking about a so-called “recovery”. But the truth is, the recovery is not fair and it’s not being shared.

The Government has once again shown that its priority is giving billions to big business with little accountability or strings attached.

I have attached Australia’s Council of Trade Unions breakdown in order to assist you to understand how last night’s Budget could affect you.

Click here for the ACTU’s Budget 2021 Breakdown

In unity,

Joshua Dekuyer