Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Amendment (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2009. I have to say that this is a very savage attack by this Labor government on an estimated 22,000—those are the figures we have—very special Australians. The measures will impact on Commonwealth seniors health card holders, the older generation who helped build this nation. They were always very, very careful with their money and saved for their future, but we have a savings measure here from a government that has already appropriated $52 billion but cannot find the money to provide 22,000 very special Australians with a health card.

Another group who I know are going to be impacted by this very savage measure from a very cunning, heartless Treasurer is our veteran community. I was at a small community hall on the weekend. My good friend and colleague the member for Hinkler would know it well—Goomburra in the Goomburra Valley, east of Warwick. I was there on Saturday. I went inside the hall and saw that the rolls of honour of those who served from that region are proudly displayed there: the First World War, the Second World War, Vietnam, Korea and Malaya. I particularly noticed the First World War roll of honour. There would have been 27 young boys who went away to defend the values that are enshrined in our Constitution. I looked beside that roll of honour and I found that, of the 27, 10 were killed serving our country, one was gassed and another wounded. Almost 40 per cent never returned to Australia, and two who returned were severely maimed.

We may only have one veteran from the First World War still alive in Australia, but the point about the veteran community of this nation is that they were prepared to risk their lives to ensure that we could have a better life. They are going to be caught up in this government’s heartless action that will take away from them the seniors health card, which brings benefits other than just the PBS. One of the things that will hurt, particularly in my rural communities, is the stripping of the telephone concession. The telephone is a vital piece of equipment for people living in rural Australia. It is the way that they communicate with outside communities. But that concession too will be stripped away as a result of this card not being available to those veterans who were entitled to the seniors health card under the former government. Veterans, seniors and couples in rural Australia have to travel great distances and have much higher living costs for petrol and food, yet this government is prepared to strip away a benefit from very special Australians—22,000 of them, as estimated in the budget papers.

This is a direct attack on some of the most vulnerable people in our community, people we should hold up and value and be prepared to thank for their contribution to this nation. What we see from the Treasurer, the Prime Minister and the Labor government is a heartless act. The very cunning Treasurer and Prime Minister have now broken yet another promise—a promise made prior to the last election that they would look after these communities and that they would govern for all Australians. We find now that they are prepared to break this promise. I am ashamed to say that there is a parliament here in Canberra, where the Labor Party has the Treasury bench, that is going to strip away the seniors health card from 22,000 very special Australians. Members of the Labor Party should hang their heads in shame. I will join my colleagues in opposing this bill.

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