Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

He says yes. This is the letter which the Leader of the Opposition wrote to his pensioner constituents last year and which he confirms here in question time today. As I said at the time, this was just a scare tactic from Mr Beazley, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Australian Labor Party. I came across another forecast recently about wages and pensions in Australia. It was one that, unlike the Leader of the Opposition’s letter, does rely on some economic modelling and that modelling is very interesting. What this forecast shows is that the wages growth, which is predicted in terms of weekly earnings over the next three years, for 2006-07 is 4.7 per cent; for 2007-08, 4.7 per cent; and for 2008-09, 4.7 per cent. Indeed, this document goes on and says:

In a continued tight labour market with acute skill shortages, average weekly earnings will be dragged upwards ...

Upwards. Then it concludes:

This will drag the sole parent pension up with it.

Who do you think was responsible for this economic modelling? Was it Treasury? No, it was not the Treasury. This is a document released on 6 January this year by none other than the member for Rankin, Dr Emerson. Talk about letting the cat out of the bag. This document was released by a man on the opposition benches who I believe has some economic expertise, at least more than the Leader of the Opposition. This confirms what I have said that the letter sent by the Leader of the Opposition last year was just a scare campaign. That has been proven by what the member for Rankin has said in this document. The thing that will be most important in the future, as it has been in the last 10 years, in terms of wages for ordinary Australians, and indeed pensions for those in receipt of pensions, is a strong economy in this country. Part of continuing a strong economy in this country is to ensure that we have a modern workplace relations system. That is what this government is about and that is what the opposition is objecting to. We will do what is needed to ensure that the Australian economy remains strong. The same cannot be said for the opposition.

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