Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the answers, or lack of, given by Senator Coonan with regard to Australia Post’s intention to charge pensioners and veterans fees for the use of mail redirection and holding services. I have to say that today it was a gold medal performance by the senator of not answering any questions, as were the comments of Senator Eggleston in trying to defend the indefensible. And what can I say about Senator McGauran? It was obviously a very late night last night.

As Mr Howard celebrates 10 long years as Prime Minister, our pensioners and veterans will be commiserating on 10 long years of an arrogant government that has continued to attack the most disadvantaged in our community. On a daily basis, I hear of pensioners and veterans who are struggling—I repeat: struggling—to make ends meet. And yet we hear that the Howard government is quite happy for Australia Post to slug an impost on 400,000 Australians. Australia Post believe they are striking a balance by offering a 50 per cent reduction of fees to eligible concession card holders. With a dividend of over $286 million, they are not so much striking a balance as ensuring that the pockets of the Howard government will continue to be overflowing.

This government is more interested in self-congratulations than it is in the average Australian. This government continues to ignore the cries of pensioners and veterans as they struggle to make ends meet. This government has turned a blind eye to Australia Post’s decision and is quite happy to skirt around the issue and advise us in this chamber that Australia Post are an independent corporation and, basically, can do what they darn well please.

Australia is daily becoming a profit driven nation rather than one that looks after its own. Isn’t Australia Post making enough money? Last year, Australia Post reported a record net profit in excess of $374 million, and yet they still find it reasonable to target our pensioners as cash cows. I challenge Australia Post to really be serious about what they call ‘striking a balance’. Did they bother to consider other options? Or did they only bother to think of the easiest and most selfish option, which is the option that benefits only Australia Post and the Howard government?

Australia Post has suggested that if people prefer not to pay—or, to add my own words to that statement, cannot afford to pay—for mail redirection or holding services these people could, to quote from an article in the Australian:

... simply update their address details with all their correspondents before they move, arrange to have their mail picked up or have it sent on by the new occupants of their old address.

Be fair! In other words, if people do not want to pay the fee for a service that was free, they should go ahead and make many expensive telephone calls, pay postage for additional letters of advice or, worse still, inconvenience the occupants of their old address. That does not sound like a solution to me. That sounds like a major inconvenience and expense—an impost, again, on those who can least afford it.

If the Howard government are serious about congratulating themselves on what they describe as ‘a great 10 years’, then perhaps today, yesterday and right now they could take the time to make a difference to the disadvantaged in our community and tell Australia Post that the new policy for mail redirection and holding services stinks. Do not hide behind the excuse of Australia Post being a government business enterprise. The Howard government have a responsibility to protect and enhance the quality of life enjoyed by pensioners and veterans through minimising policy that is an impost on the trivial fortnightly pension.

The Howard government are focused on bottom-line profit, espousing good financial management and gloating about a buoyant economy at the expense of the people who can least afford it. They should demonstrate some strength and compassion and stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. Do not rob our pensioners—reward them. Stick up for the people who elected you and trusted that you would do the right thing by them. The right thing is to tell Australia Post to go back to the drawing board with their fee policy, to have a good hard look at their profits and to think about operating smarter, but not at the expense of 400,000 Australians who struggle each week just to get by.

We have had Welfare to Work and Work Choices, and now we have more complacency. In fact, this one takes the cake because there is no way that the government can stand up here, hold their hands over their hearts and confirm that this fee from Australia Post will not—and I repeat, will not—affect our pensioners and our veterans. And our veterans, despite the many years of commitment— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.