Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to Dell Stagg, a full-time carer for her daughter, in the electorate of Boothby. Because of the government's budget changes, Dell says her family will be up to $600 per fortnight worse off. Dell writes, 'Not only am I already doing the heavy lifting because of my caring role for my daughter, I'm buggered if I'm leaning on anyone. I also have cancer now.' Why is the Prime Minister making life even harder for carers like Dell by cutting the indexation of the carer payment and disability support pension?

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

For the benefit of the member who asked the question and for the benefit of the carer she has been talking to, I want to reassure her, the House and the Australian people that there are no cuts to the carer payment, the carer allowance or the carer supplement in the budget. There are no cuts to those payments in the budget.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's in here—it's in your own budget.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney has asked her question and will listen to the answer.

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

The only cut that has been proposed to carers in recent times was back in 2008, when members opposite attempted to scrap the carer bonus altogether. The only cut that has been proposed to carers in recent times was by the Labor Party back in 2008, when they attempted to abolish the carer payment, and it did not happen, because the coalition successfully opposed it.

I just say again to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition—who really should be better than this, who really should be above scaring vulnerable people—yes, we have had to make a range of difficult decisions, but we have only made these difficult decisions because someone had to clean up Labor's mess. Given that Labor was incapable of cleaning up its own mess, the people of Australia voted for the coalition to do the job that Labor was incapable of. And we will do this job. We will do it in a competent, trustworthy way and in a way which is as compassionate as it can be under the circumstances in which we find ourselves.