PM Abbott’s vision for Australia: "dull" just camouflage for damaging, extreme

Greens Leader Christine Milne says the thousands of people who've taken to the streets today for the March in March are crying out for a vision from Australia's political leaders, which delivers in the public interest, not just business as usual for vested interests.

"People are just so disillusioned. We all know we don't want the cruel cuts on offer from the Abbott government, but we also deserve better than a dull budget that preserves the status quo and holds Australia back," said Senator Milne.

"The Liberals are making everyone else suffer so they can protect the profits of their mates at the big end of town, and Labor is without alternatives.

"The Greens know we have to urgently respond to global warming and wealth inequality. We have a suite of fully costed policies to raise the revenue we need to support the sort of society that we want.

"Australians deserve a budget which underpins a vision: a budget which sets us up to be a healthy, innovative, caring nation that looks after our land, water and environment.

"There's $10 billion to be had by making superannuation more equitable, so that low income earners pay lower tax on their super contributions, and the most wealthy pay more and stop using super as a tax haven.

"Where PM Abbott's Medicare co-payment would have raised about $3.5 billion, just keeping the carbon price exactly as it was would have raised $18 billion.

"The Coalition's higher education changes were a cruel way to raise $5 billion, while just ending tax breaks for big mining companies would save us double that," said Senator Milne.

"It's no wonder there are thousands of people marching in the streets when the Liberals keep pressing the fear and anxiety button, and Labor keeps helping them send Australians to war and legalise mass, indiscriminate surveillance of our data.

"The Greens will keep working to end the protection racket for the big end of town, to stand up for our community's most vulnerable, and stand against this government's destruction of the climate, which will impact our world forever."