Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Defence. Will the minister update the House on how the government's fair indexation of military superannuation will assist retired ADF personnel and their families in my electorate of Petrie? Are there any risks to the introduction of this measure?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Petrie for his question and acknowledge his longstanding support and advocacy for the veterans' community. Consistent with our election commitment, and consistent with being a government that does what it says, and says what it does, last Thursday we introduced the Defence Force Retirement Benefits Legislation Amendment (Fair Indexation) Bill 2014. It has been a long time coming, getting justice for our veterans. It is a proud government that was able to introduce this bill on behalf of 57,000 DFRB and DFRDB members and their families, including 1,234 members, and their families, in the member's electorate.

This side has long recognised the unique nature of military service. We have maintained a consistent and principled position—both in opposition and now in government—on the need to fairly index DFRB and DFRDB superannuation pensions. This is something we committed to in the 2010 election and the 2013 election, just gone. The legislation is clear proof that we will stand up for those who stand for us.

The member also quite rightly asked if there were any risks to enacting this policy. The simple answer is yes. The entire risk matrix sits opposite us, in the intransigence of the Labor Party. We know that in 2007 Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party promised veterans a: 'generous superannuation system'. They were the words that were used. Instead they spent the entire six years of their government defending an excuse as to why they were denying veterans and their families indexation.

Their road to Damascus moment came a mere week from the election. When Mike Kelly's seat was under threat, they rushed through a half-baked veterans indexation policy. Not once, not twice, but on three separate occasions those opposite voted against the coalition when we attempted to legislate for the fair indexation of DFRB and DFRDB schemes. Labor even commissioned its own report, after the 2007 election, to substantiate and justify its backflip. It would have been extremely helpful if there had been a 2013 Labor veterans policy. Instead, all we had was the half-baked, Mike Kelly abridged veterans DFRDB indexation scheme.

I ask the Leader of the Opposition if he is going to stand in the way. There are 5,438 members and their dependents in WA who are right now waiting to know if you are going to stand in the way. Those 5,438 people want to know if you will stand up for fair indexation, as does the rest of the country.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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