Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

In continuing my contribution from yesterday on the Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Amendment (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2009, I would like to preface my remarks by reminding those who were listening of the Prime Minister’s words in the media this morning. He stated that Labor have a mandate—they went to the election with a whole suite of promises, that was their mandate and they will honour all their election commitments. That is what we have heard. I just wonder how this bill actually honours Labor’s election commitment to help senior Australians make ends meet. On 1 November 2007 the Prime Minister released his election plan for older Australians. When you look at the election plan you would not think that we would be in a situation today where we could possibly even consider legislation in this place, let alone legislation that has been brought in by the government apparently to honour their commitment to senior Australians. This is straight from the election plan:

A Rudd Labor government will offer increased financial support—

for the benefit of the minister, that is ‘increased financial support’—

to older Australians …

I say that just in case I have missed something in the bill, which clearly rolls back support for seniors. The election plan states:

Federal Labor’s plan—

it is one of those beautiful little spin terms—

Making Ends Meetwill help around three million eligible Australians, including pensioners and self-funded retirees—

and, I am assuming, the 22,000 pensioners whose lives you are going to make a whole lot worse through the proposals in this legislation. That is something that those on this side of the chamber are not all that keen on. I believe that Kevin Rudd was elected because one of the fundamentals he persuaded Australians of was, ‘We are going to lower the cost of living.’ He went to great pains to say that he was going to bring down the price of petrol and that he was going to bring down grocery prices.