Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wonder what Mr Rudd was thinking last night as he dined in New York whilst conveniently ignoring the issue that matters to many Australians—in fact, to all Australians except those on the other side—and that is the issue of pensioners. I wonder if Mr Rudd had baked beans on toast for dinner last night. I think not! I bet what he had was a lot fancier and a lot tastier than what the pensioners here in Australia had last night. But what is worse is that this is the Prime Minister who, at a very recent press conference, on 9 September, had this to say:

I agree with both Wayne and Julia, I think it would be almost impossible to continue to live on the current single aged pension.

And then he was quoted in the Age on Wednesday, 10 September, saying:

Living on the single aged pension is very, very tough, which is why we are committed to its reform.

This is yet another example of the long line of spin, rhetoric and no-substance approach to Labor’s policy which the Rudd government is making—spin over substance every time.

In talking about spin over substance, I note that the other side have yet again raised that we provided only one speaker on the pension issue—one speaker by agreement—and they also provided only one speaker. They now have the audacity to stand up in this chamber and say to us on this side that we do not care about pensioners. I say to you: ‘We’re the opposition; you’re the government. You provided one speaker. What does that say about you?’ Not a lot.