Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyons for his question because he knows that each and every one of us has a responsibility to act on climate change. He and everyone on this side of the House, and one or two over there as well, knows that it is in the interests of our country, in the interests of our economy but, of course most importantly, in the interests of our children. We believe, on this side of the House, that it is big polluters who should pay. Big polluters should pay for their pollution; not families and not pensioners.

Under our plan to price carbon every one of the 3.4 million Australian pensioners will receive assistance that will cover the average cost of a price on carbon. They will receive real and permanent increases to their pensions. The same will go for those self-funded retirees who are on a Commonwealth seniors health card. They, too, will receive the level of assistance that people on a pension will get. Those self-funded retirees who are on a Commonwealth seniors health card will get the same level of assistance as someone on a pension.

Because we believe that it is the big polluters who should pay for their pollution, we do not believe it should be Australian families and we will be providing assistance to those families. Nine out of 10 families will receive help through our household assistance arrangements and that will particularly mean that low- and middle-income families will get help to cover the cost of expected average price rises. Of course, as the Prime Minister has indicated, we will provide a 20 per cent buffer, so three million low-income families will get assistance over and above any expected average increases in prices. One of the good things for pensioners and for families will, of course, be that they will get these payments directly into their bank accounts. They will not have to make complicated arrangements and there will be no queues to worry about. This assistance will go straight to them.

We know that we do need to take these serious actions to help families play the role that they want to play to tackle climate change. By contrast, of course, those opposite are not the faintest bit serious about dealing with climate change. What we see from this Leader of the Opposition is all stunts. Every single day another stunt; no substance whatsoever.

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