Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Conroy. Does the government intend to keep its solemn promise made to Australians saving for their retirement through superannuation before the 2010 election that it would 'never remove tax-free superannuation payments for the over-60s'?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could I thank the senator for his question. Unlike those opposite, those on this side of the chamber have always been the champions of the superannuation in this country. Those opposite now seek to spread fear and uncertainty. The far-sighted reforms that the former Labor government and current Labor government have introduced have been met with opposition from all of those opposite—both now and previously. Let me quote to you from Mr Tony Abbott in 1995 in the debate in parliament. He said, 'Compulsory superannuation is one of the biggest'—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order relating to the requirement for the minister to be directly relevant. Australians saving for their retirement across Australia need the minister to be directly relevant to the question. The question was very specific: does the government intend to keep its promise that it would never remove tax-free payments for superannuants over 60—yes or no? Nothing else can be directly relevant to that question.

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

Firstly, on the point of order, I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. That has been a longstanding situation in this chamber.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Order! If you did not interject and had waited, you would have heard the whole context of what I had to say. I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. The next part I was going to say, if people had been patient and had waited, was that I draw the minister's attention to the question and the minister has one minute and one second remaining.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. To finish the quote, Mr Abbott said:

Compulsory superannuation is one of the biggest con jobs ever foisted by government on the Australian people.

We do not resile from being the champions of superannuation in this country against those opposite—

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Conroy, come to the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

who have got no interest except to take away superannuation.

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! I am calling Senator Conroy to address the question. He has 29 seconds.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps those opposite, instead of trying to spread fear and uncertainty, should address their $70 billion black hole. In asking questions like they are asking today, they choose simply—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The minister has ignored your direction three times now. He was asked whether or not the government stood by a commitment. That is all the question was about, as you acknowledged when you on three occasions directed him to the question, and on three occasions he has ignored you. Mr President, I ask you to assert your authority and either insist on a direct answer or sit the minister down.

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

Order! I ruled at the outset, at the one minute and one second left to answer mark, that the minister could not be instructed how to answer the question. The second thing that I then did was to draw to the minister's attention the question and that the minister should address the question. I know that I have subsequently asked the minister to address the question that is before the chair and the minister now has 13 seconds remaining to address the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite seek to play that old traditional game of rule in rule out. I certainly will not be engaging in their fantasies about yes, no, rule in, rule out.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order!

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, the answer to the first question was clearly no, the government does not intend to keep that promise.

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

Order! That is completely out of order. The statement at the front of a question is completely out of order.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My supplementary question is: why has the government cut the super co-contribution for low-income earners by $1,000, down from $1,500 under the Howard government to just $500 now, in particular given Labor's emphatic promise before the 2007 election that it would not make any changes to superannuation? Can the minister rule out any further cuts to the low-income earners super co-contribution in the next budget?

Senator Wong interjecting—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order on both sides of the chamber! If you wish to debate this issue, the time is clearly after question time. Order!

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, it is breathtaking that those opposite seek to come in here and play rule-in rule-out games. The premise of the question is about playing rule-in rule-out games, yet Mr Abbott himself confirmed that one of the first things he would do if elected is to scrap a billion dollars' worth of the superannuation tax break for low-paid workers. Some 3.6 million low-paid workers would be facing having less money—$500 would be ripped away from Australian superannuants if those opposite got the chance to implement their policies. They want to come in here and start rule-in rule-out games to cover what Mr Abbott said last week. Let us be honest here, Mr Abbott said that he was going to do it—and we hear dead silence over there. (Time expired)

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a further supplementary question. Why should anyone trust that a re-elected Labor government would not scrap the low-earner super tax offset given Labor has tried to fund it by the mining tax, which has not raised any meaningful revenue? Why should anyone trust any commitment made by this government about superannuation given it has broken its promises made before the 2007 election and is about to break its most emphatic promise made to superannuants before the 2010 election?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite are now desperate to cover for what Mr Abbott said last week when he said that he wants to take 3.6 million low-paid Australians and reduce their benefits, and that is exactly what Mr Abbott has confirmed

And you can stand up here and play rule in and rule out, but that is your stated policy. That is your stated policy, and you are not attempting for a second to contradict.

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

Order! It is not time for debating the issue across the chamber.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott, a man who said he would not change Medicare before an election when he was the Minister for Health, and then in the first budget he made absolute cuts. Then, when he was asked in public—he was asked on the record, on television—did you think about resigning? He said, 'I thought about it for a minute but I decided not to'. So, do not come here and talk about trust. Tony Abbott has a trust deficit.

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

Order! You need to refer to people in the other place—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott has a trust deficit with the Australian public. A trust deficit, and they know exactly— (Time expired)