Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Can the minister confirm that a significant number of Labor backbenchers support an immediate one-off relief payment to age pensioners before Christmas?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Adams for her question and I acknowledge that she has a genuine interest in pensioners and has a long-term interest in their welfare, but I am disappointed that this is only the second question on pensions raised by the opposition in question time this week. They threatened that they were going to come into the parliament and campaign hard for pensioners. And what do we get? In four days we have had two questions. We have not had any debate and I understand that the bill which they threatened to bring in is coming in next week. That is how urgent their concern is! It has been pathetic. The Rudd Labor government is very concerned about the conditions confronting pensioners. That is why in our budget, the first Labor budget—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Evans, resume your seat. The minister is entitled to be heard in silence.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is important that this parliament do all it can to support pensioners. That is why the Rudd Labor government in its first budget, within months of coming to office, made a $7.5 billion investment in trying to alleviate conditions confronting pensioners, carers and those on disability pensions. We actually increased the utilities allowance from $125 to $500 per annum—an immediate $400 increase in the utilities allowance to help pensioners meet those costs. We also provided a $500 bonus to pensioners, again to try and insulate them against the high inflation that we inherited from the previous government. So those are two very concrete measures—in addition to some relating to telephone allowances and others—that sought to provide immediate relief to pensioners, to provide more cash to assist them given the huge interest rate pressures in the economy that the previous government created.

We acknowledge that pensioners are doing it tough, we acknowledge that more needs to be done and we immediately set about trying to address the structural issues that underpin the concern about the level of pensions. So, in addition to making the initial down payment, we said we were going to look at how we might improve the pension and support systems for pensioners in a fundamental way—not just continue to throw annual bonuses at pensioners, if and when the cash is available, but fundamentally look at how we support them, because we accept they are doing it tough. Rather than the opposition resorting to stunts, rather than them pretending they are interested and then showing no interest in pensioners when they come into this parliament, we urge them to support the fundamental review we are doing about conditions that impact on pensioners. We would ask them—

Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order on relevance, Mr President. I asked the minister whether he could confirm that a significant number of Labor backbenchers support an immediate one-off relief payment to age pensioners before Christmas.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. I draw your attention to the question, Senator Evans.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the Rudd Labor government and all its members are committed to is trying to assist pensioners as best we can to confront the rising cost of living. Part of that is providing strong economic leadership, part of it is providing immediate measures to assist them, as we did in the budget, and part of it is looking at the fundamental reform of pensions, to which we have committed. But we do not just think about age pensioners; we actually think about those pensioners with disabilities on disability support pensions. We think about veterans. The stunt proposed by the opposition totally excluded those people, took no account of them. They are on a related income and the opposition does not seek to recognise the stress they are under as well. The Rudd Labor government is committed to reform in this area. We are committed to assisting pensioners and we will be taking action. (Time expired)

Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. If the government will not listen to its own 83-page report on increasing the pension, if it will not listen to the Catholic social justice commission and if it will not listen to its own backbenchers, will it at least listen to pensioners themselves and immediately commit to a one-off $30 increase in the single age pension?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I say, I would take the senator’s question more seriously if she and her colleagues had done anything in this parliament today or anything this week to raise these issues. But, as I have indicated, the opposition are more concerned about defending luxury car tax purchasers. We have had 22 of them speak on that in this parliament this week—22 of them committed to speaking on the luxury car tax and only one question before this on the plight of pensioners. Those are the opposition’s priorities. The Rudd Labor government is focused on delivering for pensioners and assisting them, and we would appreciate if the opposition got its priorities right and focused on their issues rather than the needs of luxury car purchasers.