Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Minister, how has the government’s approach to family policy been received?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for her question. The government is firmly committed to economically responsible family policy. We want to have family policy that supports people who are doing it tough in this country. That is why we are introducing a number of measures to better target family payments, including payments like the baby bonus and family tax benefit part B. We will be introducing an income test that will apply at $150,000 a year—a reasonable limit for these payments. Around 280,000 families will continue to receive the baby bonus, and around 1.4 million Australian families will continue to be eligible for family tax benefit part B. We consider that it is responsible to target government support to those families who are in the most need.

It is the case that these changes have been heralded by a number of commentators. ‘Praiseworthy’ is the way in which Ross Gittins, the economist writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, described it. By contrast, it has taken the Leader of the Opposition quite a while to come to a position on the government’s changes. It does seem like it has been a rather long and very painful process. First, he said he opposed income testing. Then he could not decide which position to take. We know he could not get his colleagues into line. Eventually, I understand, he has agreed that he will be supporting the bill. We do know that he could have gone either way because it is not as if he actually believes that family policy should be both economically responsible and fair. It is the case of course that this Leader of the Opposition has more positions on a range of issues—more positions than even a yoga instructor.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am glad to hear that the opposition are listening because they might be interested in something this Leader of the Opposition had to say on his various views about politics to the Age newspaper back in 1994.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Finance, Competition Policy and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Dr Nelson interjecting

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am glad you are listening and I am glad the Leader of the Opposition is listening. I am sure he will remember what he said to the Age back in 1994. He said:

I would feel equally comfortable as a moderate Liberal as I would feel in the Labor right.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear my colleagues in the Labor Right indicating that they would not feel comfortable, and the moderates over there do not look very comfortable either. This is the man who wants to be considered the alternative Prime Minister of this country, and he does not know where he feels more comfortable—whether it is in the Labor Right or the moderate Liberals. He is so confused he has no idea what he stands for. On this side of the parliament we know what we stand for. We stand for an economically responsible and fair family policy.