Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The government believes that people who work hard should be rewarded, particularly those who work for themselves, and that if you want to contribute you should not be punished for doing so. By giving pensioners the ability to work for themselves to get the pensioner work bonus rewards those people who want to work more. It means that those who want to stay in the workforce can, particularly if they are retiring from being a self-employed worker. The government will not punish those who make a contribution—those who work for themselves. We want to reward that attitude and ensure that pensioners have a range of options in their retirement.