Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I have a series of questions for the minister. I take the minister to Budget Paper No. 2, page 203, and the changes to pension indexation. Could the minister confirm a saving of $449 million over five years by cutting the indexation rate of the pension and other equivalent payments, for example, the single parent payments? Could the minister provide any further information as to the breakdown of those savings? How much is from the age pension and how much is from carers in particular, and is any other information the minister may choose to share with the chamber?

Can the minister indicate to the chamber separately what modelling the government has undertaken on the impact of these changes on individual pensioners? Can the minister confirm a figure that the government estimates the average pensioner will be worse off by if these changes had not been implemented? Particularly, can the minister confirm that if these changes had been implemented, for example, for the past four years, an average age pensioner might be $1,500 a year worse off? Has the government undertaken that analysis and does the minister have the view that that analysis might inform the impact on the average pensioner of these changes going forward?

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