Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. I am very pleased to talk about how the federal Labor government is delivering for pensioners right across the country—particularly this week, as we are delivering to around 3.5 million Australian pensioners a boost in their household budgets through an increase in the pension and, of course, through the start of the new clean energy supplement. So that will make a big difference to pensioners right across the country. In my electorate of Richmond, we are going to see 32,200 local pensioners receiving the boost to their payments this month with that increase to the pension and the start of the new clean energy supplement. The facts are that from 20 March single pensioners on the maximum rate will receive an extra $35.80 per fortnight. Pensioner couples on the maximum rate will receive an increase of $54 per fortnight combined. Of course, as I said, this increase includes a new clean energy supplement, which will be paid fortnightly along with the pension from 20 March, and it is at a rate of $13.50 per fortnight for singles, and $20.40 per fortnight for couples combined.

When we look at the increases, total pension payments for people on the maximum rate will be $808.40 per fortnight for singles and $1218.80 per fortnight for couples combined. That is a major increase. I think the concern that people have, particularly in my electorate, is the fact that the Liberal and National parties have a plan to cut the age pension by slashing the clean energy supplement if they are elected, and, of course, this will have devastating impacts on the pensioners in my area and, indeed, right throughout the country. They are also going to be removing the increases to the tax-free threshold as well, which will make a very big difference. We increased that to $18,000 and they will be cutting back on that. So we really cannot risk having them. In our area, with the National Party elected people know that they would be cutting those pensions, and that means that every single pensioner would lose more than $350 a year, and every pensioner couple would lose more than $530 a year, which is a very significant amount.

It has been a Labor Party that has increased the pension. We had historic pension reforms in 2009 and we have our clean energy supplement as well, which will increase the pension. We are also reducing the deeming rates, which is very important. It has only been the federal Labor government that has consistently delivered for pensioners, and we will continue to do that, and we will continue to highlight the fact that the Liberal and National parties will be ripping away at those pension increases. It will make a very big difference to those pensioners, who need to have those increases. It is a continued attack on families and pensioners in my electorate. We will see the age pension being ripped away by the Liberal-Nationals. We will see the Schoolkids Bonus being taken away from families; they have made it very clear that they are going to rip that away from families as well. So the pensioners and also the families in my electorate know exactly what they will be getting with the National Party and how they will be ripping that money away from them right across the board. We have certainly worked hard to make sure that we continue to deliver for all of those areas in our electorate, particularly our pensioners—having over 32,000 pensioners is a huge amount.

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