Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware of a leaked email from the Treasurer's office which contains, and I quote, 'Further questions from the Treasurer'? It goes on to ask whether it's correct that the now Prime Minister cut billions from aged care. Therefore, has the Prime Minister briefed the Treasurer on his 2016 budget, which confirms that the now Prime Minister cut $1.2 billion from aged care?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, the reason that I am seeking to establish, and will be establishing, a royal commission into the aged-care sector is so that we can have a serious discussion about what is needed in the aged-care sector based on facts. Based on actual facts, not based on the lies of the Labor Party and not based on the agendas of others. All of these things can be put aside and we can focus on the needs of senior Australians in their most urgent time of vulnerability and need.

Once again, the Labor Party has raised the issue of decisions taken in the 2016 budget. In the 2012 budget, exactly the same decision was taken by the Labor Party in relation to the Aged Care Funding Instrument to ensure that the proper assessments were being made and that overestimations of demand were not being built into future budgets. There was a variation of $1.6 billion by the Labor Party in the 2012 budget.

Mr Speaker, I am not making any claims about that. I understand how the ACFI model works. I've put budgets together—three very good budgets, in fact, which are reducing the deficit, bringing the budget back into balance and funding essential services, particularly for aged care, which is increasing by a billion dollars and more every single year under our government. Now, the Labor Party might want to engage in these tactics here in this chamber, but all they are telling senior Australians is that they are more interested in politics than in looking after aged care.

Chris Crewther (Dunkley, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister: will the Prime Minister outline to the House how the government is responsibly planning to ensure we can meet the needs of our senior Australians now and into the future?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dunkley for his question, and I thank him for his passionate advocacy for senior Australians in his electorate of Dunkley. Australians are living longer; this is good news. Australians are living longer now by about 10 years. Our population is ageing, albeit not as quickly as some European countries and some North Asian countries. Our population ageing is a material fact that the government has been preparing for and has been preparing for throughout our time in office. The 85-plus age group will be the fastest growing part of our population over the next 40 years. In 1975, there were 125 centenarians. Today, at the most recent census, there were 3,569. By 2055 there will be 40,000 centenarians in Australia. Our government is acting to prepare our country to ensure that we can meet the needs of senior Australians.

We understand, in our government, that aspiration has no age limit. It doesn't matter what age you are: as an Australian, you will always have your aspirations that are supported by our government. To be financially secure, to be independent, to be safe, to be healthy, to be active, to be respected, to have new opportunities and to seek out new experiences, that is what our policies are designed to do for senior Australians and that's what we are funding them to be achieving.

One of the ways you are able to deliver $19.7 billion in this financial year for aged care services is if you have a strong economy and if you have an economy where there are Australians of working age in work. Under our government, we have seen, over the last five years, the welfare dependency of working-age Australians fall to the lowest level in 25 years. When you have Australians of working age getting off welfare and getting into work that means you can pay for the services that older Australians and senior Australians rely on. Our workforce participation has increased over the term of our government and that includes 640,000 more women in the workforce from when we first came into government. The gender pay gap has fallen from 17.2 per cent to 14.5 per cent under the policies of our government.

Australians are working longer. Indeed, there are half a million Australians over the age of 65 who are out there working and paying taxes. With the record jobs growth—the strongest jobs growth in our nation's history on recorded economic facts—one-third of those jobs went to Australians aged over 55. We know how to run a strong economy and that's why senior Australians can count on the promises we make and the actions we are taking to ensure their aspirations are realised. (Time expired)

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the previous answer and to the media report that states that the Treasurer:

… was not across the detail of that policy …

Has the Prime Minister asked his department to arrange a briefing so that the Treasurer can fully understand the extent of the government's cuts to aged care? When even the Treasurer admits that he is not across the detail of the policy, is this why the Prime Minister describes his own government as a muppet show?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's a bit rich from a shadow Treasurer who doesn't even know what the tax-free threshold is. It's bit a rich when he doesn't know the difference between the yuan and the yen.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Rowland interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Greenway is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a bit rich from a shadow Treasurer who once proclaimed—about the budget surpluses that had been delivered by the previous Labor government, as he went out to his entire electorate—about the great fiscal responsibility of the previous government that left Australia's fiscal situation in a greatly parlous state. We're not going to take lectures from a failed shadow Treasurer. We are not going to take lectures from a failed immigration minister, who allowed 25,000 people to turn up illegally in this country on his watch. The shadow Treasurer was one of the greatest ministerial failures of the previous government. I cannot tell you one member of that frontbench who actually did a good job in the last government, and that's a pretty good reason why they shouldn't be returned to government.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mr Frydenberg interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just before I call the member for Boothby, the Treasurer will cease interjecting. I will just remind member who are interjecting that they will be ejected from the chamber if they continue, particularly the member for Lalor, who has been interjecting since we began question time.