Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Minister for Disabilities Reform. Minister, how is the government rolling out its household assistance package to pensioners and families and what would be the impact of rolling it back?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Dawson is warned.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Throsby very much for his question, because of the hard work he does representing pensioners in the Illawarra. Like him we believe that after a lifetime of work pensioners deserve to get that extra support to make sure that they can make ends meet. That is why this government, this side of the parliament, delivered the biggest increase to the pension in 100 years, opposed by those opposite and by the cabinet that Leader of the Opposition was a member of. This government actually delivered that very significant increase to the pension which, since 2009, has meant that pensioners are getting around $150 extra a fortnight—a very, very significant achievement by this government.

We also want to make sure that it is the big polluters that pay for their pollution, not pensioners. That is why, starting from today, pensioners are receiving extra money paid straight into their bank account. It will come over the next fortnight, generally on the pension day that people have. It will mean that single pensioners will be receiving an extra $250 and couple pensioners $380 per couple combined. From March next year this will become a permanent payment, delivered either fortnightly or quarterly as part of pensioners' usual payments.

As the Prime Minister indicated, this is a benefit that is going to 3.2 million pensioners. We know that this government wants to make sure that pensioners are helped. It is this Leader of the Opposition that is going to claw that money back, and all it is for those opposite is a big joke. You think taking money off pensioners to fill your $70 billion black hole is a big joke. Pensioners know that you are clawing it off them and you are going to do it as fast as you can.

Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a supplementary question, Madam Deputy Speaker. Minister, you have outlined to the House the government's support for pensioners. Please explain how this will help pensioners in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, I thank the member for Throsby for his question. First, I would like to let him and other members from New South Wales know there will be one million pensioners in New South Wales that are going to benefit from this over the next fortnight. One million pensioners will be getting extra money paid into their bank accounts. In the electorate of Throsby alone there will be 29,000 pensioners benefiting from this measure, making sure that they get this extra help. In the neighbouring electorate of Gilmore more than 30,000 pensioners will receive this extra support. I see the member for Gilmore welcoming this money on behalf of her pensioners. I hope she will let every single one of those 30,000 pensioners know that this Leader of the Opposition is going to claw back that money from each and every one of the 30,000 pensioners in the electorate of Gilmore; they are going to lose all of that money because of this Leader of the Opposition.