Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Let's get a few more facts on the table. Eighty per cent of people will not be affected by this change. Eighty per cent of pensioners will not be affected. Who will be affected? One hundred and seventy thousand pensioners at the lower end of the scale will receive an increase in the pension of, on average, $30 a fortnight. If you have more modest means and are at the lower end of the asset scale, you will get an increase under this arrangement.

Who loses out from this deal? According to Senator Bilyk, the most disadvantaged are those people who own $1.1 million over and above the family home—let's remember the family home is exempt from this decision. Those people who have assets of over $1 million as well as the family home, which might be worth several million dollars, are the new battlers for the Labor Party. They are the disadvantaged community that Labor stands to represent. No. This is a good decision. It is a sensible measure.