Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development and Minister for the Status of Women. How will the government's pension increases, which are coming into effect today, help older Australian women?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Community Services ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Page for her important question. This government is delivering for Australian pensioners because we know pensioners have very little room to move in their budgets. Since September 2009, our pension reforms have delivered an annual increase of $5,380 for single pensioners on the maximum rate. This is important because women make up 55 per cent of the 2.3 million age pensioners and 70 per cent of all single age pensioners in Australia today are women.

Unfortunately, older women in Australia are, on the whole, more vulnerable, having had lower incomes over their working lives and therefore, in retirement, having lower superannuation and fewer assets than men. Our government's latest increases include the clean energy supplement, as we have heard today, and the six-monthly increase. Because of our reforms, pensions are now increased twice a year to keep pace with the cost of living.

Labor will always stand up for Australian pensioners and Labor will always stand up for Australian women. These pension reforms are in addition to other government reforms which are changing the lives of Australian women today, including our reforms to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act to remove barriers to women's workforce participation, to promote pay equity and to increase workplace flexibility; our introduction of Australia's first ever paid parental leave scheme; our reforms to make quality child care more affordable and accessible, which we have just heard more about; and our Fair Work Australia reforms, which led to the historic equal pay case. And then there are our changes to superannuation to boost the retirement savings of women. These include tax concessions to low-income workers with salaries up to $37,000. There are 3.6 million lower-income Australians, and a large proportion of these, 2.1 million, are women. These pension reforms are the most significant reforms since Labor introduced the age pension more than 100 years ago.

This government has a plan for fairness for Australian women during their working lives and in their retirement. This is in stark contrast to the Liberals, who we have heard want to wreck the pension and make it harder for pensioners to meet their bills. They have said they will axe the government's household assistance package, clawing back more than $1 billion in extra support that Labor is delivering to pensioners. We know those opposite—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The House of Representatives Practice makes it quite clear that to comment on opposition policies in that manner is out of order. She ought to be told to sit down or return to the subject of the question.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Community Services ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They have said that they are going to undo our price on carbon and that includes all the tax concessions and tax cuts that have been delivered and the increases to pensions and family payments that have occurred. We know that those opposite would have every single pensioner in Australia—as I said, 70 per cent of single age pensioners are women—lose more than $350 a year. Every pensioner couple would lose $530 a year under those opposite. The Liberals have a plan of secret cuts to pensions and jobs— (Time expired)

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before everybody leaves, could we all wish Luch a happy birthday. Luch does us an amazing service and we do want to wish him well on this special day.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!