Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

To the Leader of the Opposition: the only person volunteering an apology to Australia's pensioners should be the Leader of the Opposition because of his active plans to reduce the pensions received by Australian pensioners. Let us be absolutely clear: this is a government which has engaged in an historic increase in the pension because we wanted older Australians to be treated with dignity and with respect to get a basic level of fairness in our society, something denied to them for far too long by those opposite when they were in power.

Come the next election, the choice for Australia's pensioners will be us continuing to invest in the aged-care pension versus the Leader of the Opposition's plan to cut back Australian pensions. The Leader of the Opposition stands for that plan just like he stands for the end of the schoolkids bonus to make families with children worse off; just like he stands for getting Australians to pay more tax by changing the tax-free threshold, putting it down, making sure Australians pay more tax; just like he stands for the eradication of the low-income superannuation contribution so more than three million low-income Australians—predominantly women—miss out. That is not the government's way.

The government's way, as will be shown in this budget, is to ensure that we protect jobs and growth, that we chart a path to surplus, that we make the smart investments for the future and that we continue to work with Australians to support them with the services they need. The debate in Australian politics today is between that plan and that vision of the future and the Leader of the Opposition's plan to cut to the bone—to cut the services that Australians need, to put our economy into a standstill as a result of that reckless austerity and those cuts. The Leader of the Opposition will have an opportunity on Thursday night to outline the details of his plans to cut Australian services to the bone, to rip away from Australians the supports that they need.

For the government's budget tonight, what you will see is a government focussed on jobs and growth, proud that we have created around 950,000 jobs since we came to office, proud that we have worked for decency for working conditions in those jobs, proud that we have increased pensions, proud that we have worked with Australian families through things like the schoolkids bonus and increasing the tax-free threshold so that they have more supports than they used to under the former government. There is a choice, there is a contrast here. It is a very clear one and I hope the Leader of the Opposition details his on Thursday night.

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