Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question's to the Minister for Families and Social Services. Will the minister update the House on how the government is supporting senior Australians through our social security and welfare system? Is the minister aware of any different approaches that would not achieve the same result?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Berowra, who's been a very strong advocate for fair and appropriate support for senior Australians, and 11,000 of his constituents in the electorate of Berowra receive the age pension. Nationally around 2.478 million Australians receive the aged pension. Since the coalition came to power, pensions have increased by $99 per fortnight for singles and over $144 per fortnight for couples. On 20 September, in a few days time, the aged pension will rise again: $8.70 per fortnight for a single and $13.20 per fortnight for a couple.

In a whole range of ways the Morrison government is supporting older Australians through our social security and welfare system: firstly, through regular increases in the aged pension, as I've spoken about; and secondly, in building a sustainable social services and welfare system so Australians can be confident that, if they need the aged pension, it is there for them and is funded. Under the Labor government between 2007 and 2013 social security and welfare spending was rising by 6.2 per cent a year, almost twice the rate at which revenue was rising. That is not sustainable. You cannot sustain that kind of divergence. We've turned it around and now have social security and welfare spending rising at a rate which is less than the rate at which tax revenue is rising. That means the system is sustainable. That means that, when Australians turn to rely on social services, the funding is there.

We've also rebalanced the system to make it better targeted. That has meant over 165,000 aged pensioners with more modest assets are now receiving on average $25 more in pension per fortnight. We've provided more choice for senior Australians by extending the pension work bonus and we've made it clear that the proposed increase in the aged pension age beyond Labor's legislated age of 67 will not be proceeded with. I'm asked about the alternative. The alternative is very clear: Labor's disgraceful attacks on retirees who have saved, a measure which, disgracefully, hits low-income shareholders very hard compared to high-income shareholders. This is exactly the opposite of what Labor supposedly does: Labor is attacking older Australians; we are backing older Australians.