Mattie McGrath criticises pension cuts and carbon tax impact
Mattie McGrath spoke about the impact of recent legislation on low-income households and small businesses. He criticised past actions on women's pensions and the debt grant and warned current measures, including carbon tax policies backed by Minister Ryan, are not poverty-proofed and punish ordinary families.
Critique of Labour Party
The speaker said the Labour Party, when in government, "attacked the very weakest" — citing women's pensions, the debt grant and the poorest people — and argued they failed to represent working people.
Effects on low-income households
He warned of a "new working poor" and said every piece of legislation passed is not poverty-proofed, hitting lower incomes with punitive penalties. He described stark choices for people who "cannot live, there's a choice between eating or heating their houses" and noted many cannot afford travel or other necessities.
Carbon tax and climate policy
While saying "we're not denying" climate change, he criticised climate measures pursued for doctrine rather than impact, specifically mentioning the carbon tax and policies associated with Minister Ryan. He argued these measures place further burdens on people who are already struggling.
Small businesses and compliance
He called for consideration of small employers and self-employed people who want to create jobs, saying they are being "strangled with legislation after legislation" and that there has been no proper impact analysis of likely effects on small businesses.
Parliamentary concerns and alliances
He accused some colleagues of being "blindfolded" and receiving support from "so-called left parties", urging greater scrutiny of the social consequences of government policy rather than blind adherence to doctrine.
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Good morning, good, I too want to add my advice here today, I mean it's well meaning and it's lovely in your opposition, but the Labour Party did have the chance in a government and what did they do? They attacked the very weakest, the women's pensions, indeed the debt grant and the poorest of people and they were supposed to represent the working people but they didn't. That being said, we have a new working poor and it's very very difficult and every piece of legislation we're passing here isn't poverty proofed, it is impacting hugely on lower incomes and the policies of this government, the last government, especially this one, are putting punitive penalties on top of ordinary families, ordinary people who cannot afford them and you seem to be blindfolded and aghast and getting support from a lot of the so-called left parties here as well. I'm talking about carbon tax, I'm talking about many other areas here that is just blindly doing this for the sake of Minister Ryan, okay your doctrines to believe climate change, we're not denying it, but the people cannot live, there's a choice between eating or heating their houses, they can't go out, they can't drive a car, they don't even have a car and we must think of the small employers as well and the small business people, they deserve a chance as well to be supported, not be strangled with legislation after legislation, with no impact analysis whatsoever of the likely impact on the small self-employed people who want to give the jobs to people and want to look after their employees and the best majority of them do. compliance iltration 9000 9000 10.00 κα 10.00 100.000 10.00 20.00 21.00
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