Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I also note that these measures that are contained in the budget for seniors and other related measures for carers, from our point of view, represent barely a start. Seniors and carers have real challenges in terms of cost of living pressures. We recognise that. That is one reason why the question of future financial support by the Commonwealth for seniors and carers will form part of the overall commission of inquiry conducted by the Secretary of the Treasury which looks at the totality of tax, welfare and retirement incomes policy. On top of that, could I just remind those opposite that in every budget where the previous government indicated that it would make a one-off payment at the conclusion of that financial year it made no forward provision for that bonus in the out years, and they know it.

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