Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Ronaldson. Can the minister confirm that the Abbott government is scrapping the seniors supplement for 29,000 war veterans, and that the last scheduled payment for these veterans who have served our country so well will be tomorrow, Thursday, 26 June?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Forty-one questions later I finally get something from the Australian Labor Party.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about an answer?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr has just interjected.

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

Order! Interjections are disorderly, and I remind the minister that he needs to address the question and address the chair.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was indeed answering the question and Senator Carr interjected. Have a guess how many questions there have been since Senator Carr asked a question on industry. Forty-eight. Senator Carr, who stands up here on occasion and talks about industry—

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Senator Ronaldson wants more questions. What we need is more answers. Can you please ask him to answer my question.

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

That is not a point of order. I cannot instruct the minister how to answer the question, but I do direct the minister's attention to the question.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I love your work, Don. I do, on a serious note, want to wish Senator Farrell my very best for what lies ahead. Can I just say this in relation to Senator Farrell. The matter he is talking about does not take into account what we will be doing for veterans in relation to the abolition of the carbon tax. What I say to Senator Farrell—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's your answer?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Forty-eight questions, Senator Carr. What a remarkable performance. What I will say to Senator Farrell is that in relation to veterans' families—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Over a minute has expired since the question was asked. The question was about the seniors supplement. It is an important issue for war veterans. I would ask the minister to do as the standing orders require and be directly relevant to a question about the payment, or lack of payment, of the seniors supplement to war veterans.

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

I did draw the minister's attention to the question at the 1½-minute mark. I do so again, but I also point out that interjections do not help the conduct of question time, and people responding to interjections do not help question time either. The minister has 46 seconds remaining.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thought I was answering the question. But, in any event, I think it is important for the chamber to note that the seniors supplement that Senator Farrell is referring to is only paid to those DVA clients whose income and assets mean they do not qualify for a service or age pension. I thought Senator Farrell might actually have included that in his question as well. What this government inherited, of course, was a budgetary situation that required us to adopt measures across portfolios to address Labor's debt legacy. That of course has impacted on all Australians. For Senator Farrell and the Australian Labor Party to talk about their concerns with veterans— (Time expired)

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I assume that means that the answer to my question was yes. I ask a supplementary question: will the veterans now undergo hardship because they will lose up to $870 annually, money which helps them pay for life's essentials?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Farrell, if I actually thought you were serious about this then I might have a completely different answer. The reality is that for a representative of the Australian Labor Party to talk about the impact on veterans or talk about the impact on the general community is, quite frankly, the absolute height of hypocrisy. What we have done in this budget is try to ensure the sustainability—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on relevance. We are operating as a team on this issue today. The specific question, as the minister knows, is about the hardship for losing $870 a year. I would ask you to draw the attention of the minister to the question.

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

The minister still has 34 seconds remaining. I do draw the minister's attention to the question. Minister, continue.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Despite the best endeavours of the dream team, I will actually continue my answer. What I will say to Senator Farrell is that, when you reflect back on your time in this chamber, I wonder whether you, indeed, will finally acknowledge that the actions of the Australian Labor Party required this government to make decisions—not decisions we wanted to make but, regrettably, decisions we had no choice but to make. When I look again at your record in relation— (Time expired)

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I assume the answer to that question was yes. I ask a further supplementary question. How much will the government save by axing this seniors supplement for the nation's war veterans? Has the minister written to these veterans to let them know that this Thursday's seniors supplement is scheduled to be their last, thanks to the Abbott government's broken promise?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will tell you what I will not be doing. What I will not be doing is running around this country telling gold and white cardholders that they will pay the $7-copayment, which the shadow minister has been doing.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! I am waiting to give Senator Moore the call as Senator Moore is on her feet.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order: relevance. These were two very direct questions about specific savings and about whether the minister had written to the veterans who will be affected by the payment loss.

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

The minister has still 46 seconds remaining, and I do draw the minister's attention to the question.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was about savings. What I am saying to the chamber is that the cross portfolio requirements that we were faced with to try and bring this nation's finances back into some semblance of order required some decisions not that we desired to make but which we had no choice to make. The Australian Labor Party—

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

Order! Senator Moore is on her feet.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order: relevance. It was a specific question about the cost.

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Moore is trying to take a point of order.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was about the cost. The minister has 17 seconds and I do not want to miss this opportunity to get the answer.

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

Order! I drew the minister's attention to the question at the 46 second mark and I do so again.

Government senators interjecting—

Order! On my left. The minister has the call.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown interjected before, 'You did not have to.' Senator Brown, what I will say to you in relation to this matter—

Government senators interjecting—

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

Order! Resume your seat. On my left. Before calling the next questioner, I draw to the attention of honourable senators the presence in the gallery of a former president of the Senate, Alan Ferguson.