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

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. This is the government who went to the election last year promising to ease the cost of living for all Australians. This is the government who went to the election last year promising that those on pensions would not be worse off. How can the Prime Minister of Australia agree that ‘it would be almost impossible to continue to live on the current single aged pension’, how can he promise that those on pensions will not be worse off under a Rudd budget and then not do anything about their plight? In fact, they not only do not do anything about the plight of pensioners but when we on this side of politics offer a solution, a first step to help ease the burden on pensions, they call it a political stunt. But I would expect nothing less from those on the other side. It is a solution that we on this side of politics are proposing, not a political stunt.

We are not alone in that opinion. Let us look at some of the media headlines from today. The MaitlandMercury says, ‘Pensioners want action on increase’. The Adelaide Advertiser says, ‘Pensioners should not have to wait’. East Maitland pensioner Laurice Seigers—and her husband, Fred—in an article in today’s Maitland Mercury says:

I think an increase is necessary.

I certainly find it a struggle. Every time I go grocery shopping things have gone up. We have to buy things that have been marked down.

The number of comments online is staggering. James has today posted on the Canberra Times site:

This is a one term government. Rudd’s arrogance in dismissing the needy will lose him re-election.

And in my home state of Western Australia on page 6 under the banner headline ‘Political tug-of-war halts $30 pension rise’ pensioner Denis Leigh says:

At the next election pensioners will revolt against the government for not raising it now. Another $30 a week is a hell of a lot of money for us. You feel frustrated.

And the government’s response to this is that our proposal is a political stunt. This is the government that stood here today in this chamber once again gloating about its $22 billion surplus. Responsibility for age pensioners lies with them. They are the government. They can make a change. Do something about the age pension. Increase it now. After all, it was Mr Rudd who said:

… there is no way on God’s earth that I intend to leave them in the lurch.

Where is he now? New York. Just another lot of spin and rhetoric.

Question agreed to.