Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. I refer to the minister’s false claims about the coalition’s record on the pension. Will the minister confirm that modelling undertaken by the Treasury and released yesterday under freedom of information confirms that, as a result of the coalition decisions when in government, the pension is now $2,183.80 higher than it would otherwise have been?

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

I thank Senator Bernardi for the question. I am at a bit of a disadvantage because he did not refer to what claims I had made, so I am not quite sure of his reference. He refers to Treasury modelling which I have not seen, so I am not able to help him with the detail of that. What I can say is that I saw some modelling the other day by NATSEM which indicated that pensioners had gone backwards significantly between 2001 and 2005. I actually thought there were some flaws in that modelling; I did not think they had made a proper assessment in that they had excluded a number of factors which I thought would be relevant. But one can have duelling modelling on these things, I suppose.

I think the real point of all this is that the government have made an assessment that, in the current economic circumstances, pensioners are doing it tough and that the current rate of pension and support for pensioners is not allowing them to live in a manner which we think is acceptable—that they are under too much financial pressure. That is driven by a range of factors: a higher rate of inflation, increased costs of petrol and a range of other factors. It is also true that it is not a ‘one size fits all’ analysis. I think there are questions that impact on how people are going. One of the questions is whether or not people receive rental assistance. I know that in my own state there has been a real problem for people trying to rent private accommodation given the huge increase in costs. That affects people on fixed incomes, as it does others. I think some of the research I have seen indicates that different groups of people within the broad category of pension recipients are having slightly different experiences and slightly different impacts, but fundamentally the answer to Senator Bernardi’s question is that the government accept that pensioners are doing it tough. That is why we made an immediate down payment in our first budget by paying the $500 bonus and by increasing the utilities allowance from $100 to $500, and also by paying bonuses of $1,000 and $600 to carers and extending the eligibility for the utilities allowance.

We made in excess of $5 billion worth of investment in assisting those people with immediate relief. And in doing that we said, ‘That’s not enough; we need to do much more fundamental reform to income support for pensioners.’ We have set about doing that serious public policy work, and no doubt the Treasury modelling will assist us in that endeavour but that is a piece of work that is in progress. It will be brought to a conclusion in February and we will have the benefit, then, of all the various sets of modelling, various views and expert opinion to bring all that together in a government response. But, as I said, we moved quickly to provide extra income support for pensioners through the budget and we are tackling the much larger public policy question of how we fundamentally deal with the structural issues that underpin pension and other income support measures.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that the minister cannot recall what he said yesterday. I also note that in his answer he said that pensioners cannot afford to live. I seek leave to table the Treasury document.

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

Is leave granted?

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

I assume that Senator Bernardi is attempting to table a different document than that which Senator Abetz just sought to table, and I would advise him with the same advice I gave Senator Abetz: if he observes the normal courtesies in the chamber and shows us the documents then we will—

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

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

Apparently we have just been handed it so maybe I will allow Senator Ludwig to respond.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the difficulties in this chamber is that if the tactic is to provide documents as we proceed through question time then it does interrupt the flow of question time. The issue is that we are just having this document checked. It does not appear to be the complete document. I wanted to take the opportunity, as with Senator Abetz’s document, to work towards ensuring that the documents are tabled, but the appropriate time is after question time, and we will be able to provide a proper response at that time.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am disappointed that leave is not being granted, but I ask the minister a supplementary question. Why won’t the government simply do the right thing and give a $30 rise to the pensioners? Would the minister please explain and justify his heartless government’s decision to the pensioners that are in our gallery today?

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

First of all I reject most of the assertions in Senator Bernardi’s supplementary question. Cheap political stunts like that do him no credit. I would have thought that, as the spokesman for carers and disability pensioners—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Evans, resume your seat. I call Senator Evans.

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

As I was saying, I thought Senator Bernardi, as spokesman in this chamber for carers and people with disabilities on behalf of the Liberal opposition, would not have had the gall to raise these issues, given that the bill presented by the opposition totally ignored them—left them behind. For Senator Bernardi to come in here and say he is concerned, when those people he is supposed to represent on behalf of the Liberal Party have been excluded, does him no credit at all.