Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Will the minister update the House on responses to the government’s Economic Security Strategy payments?

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 Lyons for his question. I am sure he will be very pleased to know that from next week more than 10,000 families in his community who receive family tax benefit A will be receiving extra assistance under this package and almost 21,000 pensioners and carers and other seniors will also be receiving assistance. This is much needed assistance that will go to nearly two million families and four million pensioners, carers and people with a disability who will receive this extra help through the government’s Economic Security Strategy payments—$1,400 for single pensioners and $2,100 for couples, and families who are on family tax benefit A will receive $1,000 for each eligible child.

Many people have been in touch with us, as you can imagine, to tell us just how these payments are going to help them out. I had an email recently from Jackie in Melbourne, who wrote to say how much she welcomes the Economic Security Strategy. She writes:

Our six-year-old son has an autism spectrum disorder and we receive the carer allowance, so the $1,000 announced for carers is fantastic. My query is that we receive the family tax benefit A, so does that mean that we will receive $2,000? If that is the case, we will be heading out to get the much needed fridge and washing machine.

I am very pleased to be able to let Jackie know that she will be receiving $2,000, so she will be able to go ahead and buy that fridge and that washing machine.

We do know that there are number of people on the other side of the House who actually do not want Jackie to get that fridge and washing machine. Probably most famously—I know you have heard a few remarks from this particular person—the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate said the following to the Canberra Times about these Economic Security Strategy statements, and I am quoting:

“It was the National Party that came out to say ‘we’re going to call bull dust on this one’…

Remarkable. The National Party wants to stop nearly two million Australian families getting this $1,000 payment per child—two million Australian families that they do not want to get this extra help.

I say to the National Party and to their coalition colleagues that they really should keep up with the rest of the world. Maybe read a newspaper. There is no question they are living in complete denial about the global financial crisis and the way in which the world has changed. It does seem that the National Party are not on their own.

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tuckey interjecting

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

What did he say?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I suggest that the minister ignore the interjections.

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

I think that really sums it up: it is not only the National Party; it is the Liberal Party as well that is living in the past. It is not only the member for O’Connor who thinks that $2,000 for a fridge and a washing machine is not real money. It is extraordinary, when you look at some of the latest goings on on a particular website that has some recent news from the Liberal Party. You might be wondering, Mr Speaker: we could find out who is the latest Leader of the Opposition and what sort of zany activities the Young Liberals are getting up to.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order of relevance. I ask that the minister answer her own question.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will listen carefully to the way in which the minister relates this preamble to the question, which called for an update on the responses to the package.

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

That is exactly what I was referring to, Mr Speaker: the comments from the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, updated extraordinarily by the member for O’Connor. But I was amazed when I went to the New South Wales Young Liberals website. I found this extraordinary picture of John Howard—this is ‘up-to-date’; it was on the website today—and right down here is a little picture of the member for Wentworth.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has used her prop.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the government budget website still says the government is going to have a $21 billion surplus. So if we are getting into websites—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat! That was not a point of order!

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

If I can just finish by saying there is a lovely message from Mr Howard, signed ‘Prime Minister of Australia’. You guys are so out of touch, so out of date: you don’t even realise you lost the last election.