Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to comments made by the Prime Minister that indexing the pension to only CPI is 'perfectly reasonable'. Does the Prime Minister also think it is perfectly reasonable for pensioners to suffer an $80-a-week cut to their pension within a decade?

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

Members opposite should not run around the country trying to scare people.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Jagajaga has asked her question, and we will now have silence to allow the Prime Minister to reply.

An opposition member interjecting—

Whoever said that will remind themselves that they will be out next.

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

Members opposite should not set out to mislead, to scare and to distort. Members opposite should accept that, under this government, pensions go up twice a year, every year.

Ms King interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat!

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

Under this government, pensions go up twice a year every single year. What this government has done is to deliver an unprecedented benefit to the pensioners of Australia, because what we have done is scrap the carbon tax and we have kept every cent of the carbon tax compensation for pensioners, a very good deal for the pensioners of Australia. That is what they get from this government.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table the Australian Council of Social Service paper that shows it is a cut of $80 a week.

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

It is a matter of public record. The member knows perfectly well that if a matter is on a public record it is not available for tabling.