Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, 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 improved support for pensioners?

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 Hindmarsh for his question, as I know that he has 26,000 pensioners in Hindmarsh who are benefiting from this government’s improvements to the pension, and I thank him for his commitment and hard work on behalf of his pensioners.

It is the case that this government have delivered very real pension increases to Australia’s pensioners, helping them with cost-of-living increases we know they face. As a result of the reforms that we implemented around a year ago, pensions have increased by up to $115 per fortnight for single pensioners on the maximum rate. If you are a couple, it is $97 per fortnight for couples, combined, on the maximum rate. These are increases since September last year.

It is also the case that our pension reforms have delivered significant improvements as a result of changes to the indexation arrangements. This has meant larger pension increases for pensioners at each of the three indexation points since last September. Just last week, on 20 September, we saw increases in the pension for around four million Australian pensioners, who benefited from increases to their payments as a result of improved indexation. So, once again, if you are a single pensioner on the maximum rate you will be receiving an increase of $15 per fortnight. For couples, combined, on the maximum rate it is an increase of $22.60 per fortnight.

Of course, we on this side of the House do understand how important it is to make sure that we continue to deliver these pension improvements as a result of indexation as pensioners face challenges with the cost of living. We knew that we needed to introduce a new cost-of-living index for pensioners. It is this side of the parliament that delivered that to pensioners, and it is based on a new basket of goods that actually reflects what pensioners buy—not what the rest of the community buy but what pensioners buy. We do understand that pensioners spend more of their pension on things like food, medicines and clothing than the rest of the public do.

What our changes mean—not changes ever made by those opposite; changes that were made by this government in our first term in office—is that the value of the pension keeps up with pensioners’ cost-of-living pressures. What this means is that total pension payments now for those on the maximum rate are just over $716 per fortnight for singles and $1,079.60 per fortnight for couples, combined. Of course, those opposite had 12 years to deliver for pensioners and not once did they do it.

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

Order! The minister will bring her answer to a close.

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

In fact they rejected a proposal to increase the pension.

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

Minister!

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They’ve been doing it all day.

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

The member for Canning’s been doing it all day too, so let’s settle down.