Scott Morrison Sparks Debate After Saying People Earning $180,000 Aren't Rich

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has attracted criticism after claiming that people who earn $180,000 aren't what he considers 'rich'.

Since the Federal budget was unveiled, the government has been scrutinised for giving out tax cuts to high income earners.

The policy, which is already legislated, is expected to cost around $130 billion and will come into effect in 2024. It will eliminate the 37 percent tax bracket, which applies for people earning more than $90,000 a year. Instead, people earning between $41,000 and $200,000 a year will be taxed at the same rate of 32.5 percent.

Labor has indicated it will oppose the policy if the party is elected at the next election.

Scott Morrison has defended the tax cuts and when he was asked about the people who earn $180,000 a year, he declared that he didn't think some of them were 'rich'.

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Speaking in Queensland about Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO) miners, the Prime Minister said: "I don't know what the Labor Party thinks a high income is, but I can tell you we're standing here in Rockhampton and I remember when Bill Shorten went to the last election, he went up to Gladstone and he talked to people up there and he wouldn't tell them the truth.

"And, you know, he was talking about people who work in the heavy industry sectors of this country.

"It's hard work, you're away from your families. It's fly in and it's fly out. And you do earn a bit more when you're doing that.

"But I tell you what, you put a bit of it away, too.

"I don't think they should be penalised and treated like they're some merchant banker in Sydney.

"They're not, they're hardworking people working out on mines and difficult parts of the country.

"I think they deserve a tax cut."

Australian National University associate professor Ben Phillips says the average income for an employed Australia is around $85,000, while the median would be roughly $60,000.

If someone is earning $180,000 then they'll be in the top four percent of income earners in the country.

Topics: News, Money, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie