Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this government's shameful plan to cut the Department of Veterans' Affairs income support bonus. This payment supports the children of service men and women who have died or have been seriously injured while serving in the Australian Defence Force. Labor is against this government's plans to take away this measure from the children of ADF personnel. Labor is proud that we provided the income support bonus while we were in government. I note that Labor's opposition to the MRRT bill in the Senate has allowed another payment of this very support just this week. It is a payment that would not have been made if the MRRT bill had passed.

This motion makes clear that, even if the government succeeds in removing the minerals resource rent tax, we will continue to fight for the income support bonus. What we are talking about here is $250,000 a year in the budget. That is about $215 per child of a deceased or injured member of the ADF. It is not a huge sum of money, but it is an acknowledgement of our commitment to look after the families of our ADF men and women.

To be honest, I am genuinely surprised that I need to speak on this. It had never occurred to me that a government would want to do this—stripping money away from the children of veterans. I find it inconceivable that any government would be so heartless as to cut income support to the children of service men and women who have died or been injured while serving their country. There are 1,200 children in Australia who will be affected by this cut—1,200 children who will miss out on about $215 a year.

RSL officials, as has been mentioned, have described these cuts as a mean-spirited, penny-pinching exercise that will hurt Defence families. Mean-spirited and penny-pinching—I could not have put it better myself. What makes these heartless cuts even more galling is that the they only save an estimated $250,000. That is all: $250,000.