Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canberra for her question and acknowledge her interest in veterans' issues. As the Prime Minister and the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs have outlined, the government has a plan to build a clean energy future and has a comprehensive package to ensure that veterans and their families receive extra financial assistance.

From 14 June 2012 upfront household assistance payments will be made, as have been outlined—$250 for single service pensioners and $380 for couples combined. The fortnightly payments commence in 2013. In addition, disability pensioners will receive a payment now ranging from $140 to $380 for a special rate or TPI pension. Around 310,00 individuals are covered by this—160,000 service and age pensioners, 110,000 disability pensioners, over 90,000 war widows and widowers—and, I repeat, veterans receiving both disability pension and service pension will receive payments for both pensions. There are 3,400 of these recipients in the member for Canberra's electorate. Children of veterans and members receiving payments under children's education schemes will also receive assistance. Additional assistance will be available through the family tax benefit, the new low-income supplement and the tax system. We know already of new tax rates from 1 July 2012 and, of course, the changes to the tax-free threshold being increased by $6,000 to $18,200.

You would think, given the importance of these payments to the veteran community, that they would be supported by the opposition. You would think as they go around the veterans' community, as they are want to do, ingratiating themselves on a whole range of issues, that they would be supporting these issues. Of course, they are not. When they go around the veterans' community you do not see them saying to them, 'We've said no to pension increases. We've said no to tax cuts for working families,' and they have also said no to pension increases. Will they fess up, when next they visit an RSL conference, that they plan to take these moneys away from the veteran community? Will they do it? That is the question they need to respond to. No amount of the Leader of the Opposition strutting around like a peacock, or should I say a lyrebird, in his lycra, in his budgie smugglers, in his safety vests and hard harts will distract Australians, including veterans, from asking the hard questions of the opposition leader. (Time expired)

Mr Schultz interjecting—

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