James Bidgood (Dawson, 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 government support for age pensioners and on any responses?

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 Dawson for his question, particularly on behalf of the more than 11,000 age pensioners in his electorate. As he knows, pensioners in his electorate, like pensioners across Australia, are certainly facing very hard economic times. While there certainly remains more to be done, the government has made a start. We made a significant down payment to pensioners by way of the December Economic Security Strategy payments. They went to four out of every five Australians aged over 65.

Pensioners will also receive some benefit from the Nation Building and Jobs Plan, so that every pensioner who paid even $1 of tax in the last financial year will get the $900 tax bonus. Of course, many of the 20,000 social housing units will benefit pensioners. That builds on a number of things which we have already put in place—last year—for pensioners. If I can just inform the House, excluding normal indexation the government provided an additional $2,337 to single pensioners and $3,537 to pensioner couples. We have done that since coming to office, recognising the very significant pressure that pensioners are under. These have been significant gains for pensioners, and we know they would not have been delivered by the opposition.

It has been made absolutely crystal clear by the member for Warringah that the sorts of theatrics we saw from the opposition last year in relation to pensioners were nothing more than a political stunt. The member for Warringah, who is actually the shadow minister in this area, although nobody in this parliament would know it, actually arose from his usual slumber last week, went on to radio 2GB and said that he did not support an increase in the pension—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. If the minister wants to attack me, there should be a substantive motion, and let’s have a debate about it.

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

Order! The member for Warringah will resume his seat. There is no point of order. I will listen carefully to the minister’s response.

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

For the benefit of the House, I will just quote what the member for Warringah actually said on radio 2GB. He said, ‘A $35 a week increase would be an enormous hit on the revenue.’

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott interjecting

Government Member:

He says it’s true!

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

And he says it is true again. Plainly, here today, again, he is saying that he does not support an increase in the pension. He does not acknowledge that there is a need for pensioners to get an increase. Of course, we know that the member for Warringah does not think that this portfolio and pensions are the main political game. We know just how out of touch he has become with the needs of pensioners. The new shadow spokesperson for finance apparently backed him in straightaway by saying that he was just stating the bleeding obvious.

The Leader of the Opposition might think that he pulled the member for Warringah into line the other day, but I will just let the Leader of the Opposition know that the member for Warringah has been on the airwaves again, this morning, in Melbourne, saying once again that he was just stating the bleeding obvious. The bleeding obvious is that the opposition does not support an increase for pensioners. The government understand how tough it is for pensioners, and we will deliver.

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

Has the minister concluded her answer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me just point—

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

No. If there is no point of order, the member will sit down. The member has not got the call.