Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for allowing me to respond to the question. As those opposite would know, they were the ones who originally put forward measures through this parliament to increase the pension age to 67. They did that with the support of those on this side of the chamber, when we sat in opposition, because we understood the need to ensure that we had a sustainable safety net for future Australians.

Now they find themselves in opposition, they seem to think they have to run out of ideas and not be able to support proper, sensible and sustainable ideas to ensure the safety net that is there for Australians today is there for Australians in the future. If it were left to those opposite, they would just let the pension run off the edge of a cliff. They would let it run off the edge of a cliff without any thought for the welfare of future Australians about having a sustainable safety net. What do we hear from them? They continue to go on by scaring pensioners today. That is the policy of those opposite—to scare pensioners.

This is the policy of the government: to increase the pension. As the Prime Minister said couples are better off by $78 a fortnight under the pension under this government. Pensioners today are better off under this government than they would have been under those opposite if they sat on this side. I will tell you why—

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