Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Will the government show respect to Australia’s pensioners and allow the House of Representatives to immediately debate the coalition’s Urgent Relief for Single Age Pensioners Bill 2008, as passed by the Senate yesterday?

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

I thank the senator for the question. I think we had best show respect for seniors and for pensioners, more specifically, by actually addressing their concerns seriously and by looking to tackle the issues that underpin their financial status. Quite frankly, pensioners I have spoken to are not impressed by political stunts. They know that the opposition is committing a fraud on them by saying that they are going to immediately increase pensions by $30 per week. It is a fraud and it is a stunt—they know that. They know that the government understands that they are doing it tough. Senior spokesmen from the Prime Minister down have made it clear we understand that the financial pressures on pensioners are growing and that the adequacy of the age pension is being questioned. We have accepted that.

In our first budget we have made a down payment to those people most affected—not just by focusing on single age pensioners but by focusing on all pensioners, including couples and those on disability pensions and veterans pensions. We have actually said that we need to provide some relief. That is why we delivered that relief in our first budget. We delivered more than $5 billion in extra relief for those pensioners. That is what you do when you treat them with respect—you deliver. We also acknowledged that there were fundamental structural issues with the pension. That meant that there was an argument that came out through the Senate inquiry process, which did a good job in exploring these issues, that, in effect, more fundamental change needed to occur. So we had a look at the basic structures underlying the rate of pension and the other allowances that relate to it.

So we said we would take on that serious public policy work—and we are. Under the broad guidance of the tax review, Dr Harmer, who is the secretary of FaHCSIA, is actually undertaking the work directly focusing on the adequacy of pensions and the other payments that impact on those people. So we are doing the serious public policy work.

We reject the stunt. We have said consistently that we are not interested in stunts from the opposition. And, quite frankly, the Australian public understand that those now in opposition had 11 long years to do something, yet they did nothing. They had 11 budgets. Senator Minchin and Senator Coonan were at the cabinet table when Minister Brough said, ‘Let’s do something for the pensioners.’ And what did Senator Minchin and Senator Coonan do? They said: ‘No, we don’t care about the pensioners. We will do nothing.’ For 11 years they did nothing.

The pensioners of Australia know that the Howard government in 11 years through 11 budgets did nothing to support them. But they know that this government is actually committed to addressing those fundamental structural issues that underpin the pension and the payments associated with it and to looking at long-term solutions to their needs. But in the budget we did put down a $5 billion down payment. We increased the utilities allowance from $100 or so to $500. We did spread the payment more broadly. We have invested in carers and others—and not just picked one group of pensioners—who were ignored under the Liberal proposition. We are serious about it and we do treat those on fixed incomes and income support with respect. You do that by doing the hard public policy work rather than pulling stunts. (Time expired)

Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given that Labor senators yesterday were too embarrassed to call a division on the vote on that bill in order to avoid their names appearing in Hansard against this legislation, is it a fact that the government are refusing to allow debate on this bill in the House because they are afraid that some Labor backbenchers will actually follow their consciences and vote for our initiative to increase the age pension by $30 per week?

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

What I do note is that no-one from the opposition side spoke in support of their bill until the shadow minister in reply. None of you came into the chamber. None of you cared enough to come in and support it. That is why we know it is a stunt. That is why we know you are frauds. If the opposition were serious they would have come in here and supported it. They know it is a stunt and we know it is a stunt.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order relating to the Leader of the Government in the Senate seriously misleading the chamber. Everybody knows that there was one speaker on the bill in order to accommodate the time pressures for the government schedule. Senator Evans should come clean on the reasons for that and not cast aspersions where it is not appropriate.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order on both sides of the chamber! There is no point of order. Minister, you have 23 seconds left.

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

Mr President, if people are interested in this issue, they ought to compare the number of speakers the Liberal opposition had on the luxury car tax bills, defending the rights of luxury car purchasers, versus those they put up to support their pension bill. It is about 15 to one, and I think that says it all.