Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This Treasurer's budget is a shambles. The Treasurer has lost control of his agenda and his anger, and in his anger he has lashed out—prepared once again to punish those who can least afford it. Enough is enough. The Treasurer needs to rule out further cuts to the services and payments that our most vulnerable Australians rely on. One such person is Mirelle, who writes:

I am on the DSP, I have a chronic mental illness and rely on my pension card to pay for my medication and bulk billing at my GP. I am afraid that I will be cut from the DSP and forced on Newstart. I also have three children who I am also bulk billed for. I am deeply afraid that my pension will be taken off me and I will be paying $80+ per family member. I go to the doctor regularly, but if these reforms go through, I will not be going to the doctor. I will have to reconsider my medications and I can forget about my psychiatrist. What will happen to me when I am psychotic? What will happen to my children? My husband?

These are vulnerable and already frightened people—frightened about the impact of this budget. But there could be more, as the Treasurer has threatened. He needs to rule these terrible things out. This budget has already impacted upon people like Mirelle—an already vulnerable individual in our society who is managing to cope because she can rely upon her Medicare card and her bulk-billing and her low-cost pharmaceuticals, but once they go there will be no hope for her. The Treasurer must rule out further unfair cuts on families and our most vulnerable citizens, and he must do it now. (Time expired)