Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am delighted to speak in the House tonight and continue the theme that my good friend the member for Fadden has been speaking on—that is, the policy ineptitude of the Labor government. I want to specifically focus on the pensioners of Queensland, particularly the pensioners in the Ryan electorate. I think they have really been dudded by the Rudd Labor government. These are Australians who have paid their taxes all their working lives and are now in their elderly years and are entitled to a certain lifestyle—a lifestyle of dignity and contentment. These are challenging economic times, and the government has at its disposal a $22 billion budget surplus. For those who might be listening to this debate, especially from Queensland and the Ryan electorate, this $22 billion surplus is a legacy of the Howard era. This money is the result of strong economic leadership from the Howard government. However, we constantly hear in the parliament these days that the Labor government delivered this surplus. But, of course, any thinking person would realise that after only a matter of months in office there is no way that the Rudd government could have produced a $22 billion surplus.

I want to remind pensioners in the great state of Queensland that the federal opposition very strongly support a $30 increase for single age pensioners. It is not a lot of money, but it would make an enormous difference in their lives. For the Rudd Labor government to oppose this increase is terribly mean spirited. In these tough economic times, to vote against this measure proposed by the federal opposition really says something about the Rudd Labor government.

They have spoken frequently about working families. They have spoken strongly about trying to represent people who need the help of government. Yet a significant group in the Australian community, our pensioners, who need help are being deprived of it. It would be $30 a week extra on top of the $273 a week they now receive. It is something that this wealthy and generous country could afford. I think the taxpayers of Australia would not want to deprive our senior Australians who receive $273 as single age pensioners.

In the months ahead the coalition will continue to remind our electorates and the electorates held by Labor members in Queensland that Labor voted against a $30 increase that we proposed. In the months ahead I will certainly be letting single age pensioners in the Ryan electorate know how the government voted on this. There are 2,818 single age pensioners in the Ryan electorate in Queensland. I will be meeting with them and I will remind them of Labor’s position on this important issue. I am sure that they will remind their friends who live across other Queensland electorates such as Bonner, Brisbane, Dawson and Longman of how their local members of parliament voted. I notice the member for Longman is in the chamber. I wonder what he will say to the pensioners in his electorate. How many single age pensioners live in Longman? There are 5,567. I suspect they will not be too pleased about how their new local member stood up for them when it counted most. To the people of Longman who might be listening, I encourage them to contact their local member—

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