Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Kemp, representing the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Can the minister confirm that under the budget released yesterday an age pension couple will receive a single $102.80 payment—that is, $51.40 each? Can the minister confirm that a self-funded retiree couple earning $80,000 will receive $205.60—that is, $102.80 each? Why does the age pension couple get a one-off payment of just $102.80, while the self-funded retiree couple gets double that amount? Don’t the self-funded retiree couple also stand to gain from the income tax cuts, whilst the vast majority of age pensioners will receive nothing? Why have the two million age pensioners been short-changed by the Howard government when compared to self-funded retirees?