Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Capricornia again for her question. I am sure, like me, she saw an article today in her Morning Bulletin from Rockhampton about two local pensioners—Jim and Marion Lawler—who are among the 20,000 pensioners in Capricornia who are better off as a result of this government's improvements to the pension. In fact, I can inform the member for Capricornia that there are around 20,000 pensioners in Capricornia who will receive the new clean energy supplement from today. They will receive it as part of their pension every fortnight. For single pensioners in her electorate it is around $13 a fortnight and for pensioner couples like Jim and Marion it will be $20 a fortnight. That adds up to a lot in the area represented by the member for Capricornia—$6.3 million from the clean energy supplement alone.

What her electors need to know is that this Leader of the Opposition will take that $6.3 million out of the electorate of Capricornia. He will claw that money straight out of the pockets of pensioners like this family. Jim and Marion will lose $530 a year if this Leader of the Opposition gets— (Time expired)

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