Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens, shamefully, did a dirty deal with the coalition to cut the pensions for 300,000 Australians—and for what? What did they get in return for this sellout of some of the poorest Australians in this country? They got a commitment to an inquiry. That was worth reducing the income of 300,000 Australians and throwing 100,000 Australians off the pension.

In speaking on this bill, I also want to draw the attention of the House to the government's disgraceful and shameful record relating to social security payments. In their first budget, the government tried to cut pension indexation and leave pensioners $80 a week poorer. This is from a mob who is currently giving millionaires and big business a tax cut. It clearly identifies who they govern for and the priorities they have. I am proud that we defeated that change. In fact, I am proud that was a key reason the Liberals rolled their Prime Minister and replaced him with the member for Warringah. We will continue to fight for a fair treatment of pensioners.

I have already referred to the asset test changes. The government now wants to cut payments to retirees after six weeks of travelling overseas. Surely, elderly Australians who have worked hard and saved are entitled to a holiday. The government has said that their most recent budget is about fairness, but their most senior ministers—the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the finance minister—have all confirmed that the only reason they are not pursuing their draconian cuts to other measures is they cannot pass them in the Senate. Let us be clear on this matter: the Liberals and Nationals still believe in these cruel cuts to the pension, but they have been stifled from enacting them by the Labor Party in the Senate. They have, all of a sudden, discovered the concept of fairness. Australians will not be fooled by the government. They know that this government discovered the concept of fairness through a focus group and that the Labor Party is the only political party that delivers a fair go.

In concluding, let me reiterate that I am proud to be a member of a party that supports the pension, that created the pension, that defends the pension, that protects the pension against the inequitable attacks by the coalition. In conclusion, the Labor Party does welcome the government's backdown regarding the pensioner concession card. We will continue to highlight that the government are cutting the pension. They would have made even more severe cuts over the previous years but have been prevented in doing so by the Labor Party. The provision of the age pension and social security payments in general is incredibly important to ordinary Australians. The government just do not understand this.

I commend the bill to the House.

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