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

(Jagajaga—Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) (15:05): I thank the member for Page for her question as she understands very well this government's commitment to older Australians and the importance of the age pension. It is the case that this government has delivered historic reforms to the age pension, boosting both the amount of the pension and, just as importantly, making sure that the pension keeps up with pensioners' costs of living.

From tomorrow, pensioners will receive their fourth increase to the pension since we introduced the historic reforms just two years ago. We delivered pension increases of $148 a fortnight for single pensioners and $146 a fortnight for couples combined over the last two years. These are very significant improvements to the pension that this side of the parliament delivered. We know that the other side of the parliament refused to deliver an increase to the pension. We are of course also delivering real and permanent increases to the pension through our plan to put a price on carbon pollution. This too will mean improvements to the pension. Under our plan, it will be the big polluters who pay for their pollution, not pensioners. Pensioners will not be paying; it will be the big polluters. So we will see 3.4 million pensioners receiving an improvement to their pensions—yet again, from this side of the parliament—that more than covers their average expected price rises. Once again, pensioners will receive assistance worth $338 for singles and $255 a year for each member of a couple. These are the changes that pensioners can look forward to—increases to their pension that they know will come from this side of the parliament. It is not just these annual changes; they can also be assured that the clean energy supplement will keep up with the cost of living. So it is this side of the parliament that is making sure that pensioners are looked after.

What can pensioners expect from those opposite? I was asked what the impact would be of not providing the support, and we have heard from those opposite that—

See this speech in context