Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I understand why those on the other side of this House want to stop me. They do not like hearing the truth. They do not like hearing that the Prime Minister and all of them have voted to cut pensioners' pensions. The pensioners of Australia know it.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

I do. I really understand that they do not want the pensioners to know the truth. I am quite happy for the parliamentary secretary to stand up any time, because I will be making sure that all pensioners know that those on the other side of this House are attacking their pensions.

The debate around indexation is quite interesting. With the CPI pensioners' pensions go up, but what those on the other side of this House are not telling the pensioners is that, instead of having the choice of the pensioner and beneficiary living index, the CPI and male total average weekly earnings, they are choosing what they believe to be the lowest possible indexation available. Previously there was a choice of three; now there is a choice of one—one that will deliver the lowest possible indexation; one that is going to see pensioners $80 worse off over 10 years and will result in $23 billion less being paid to pensioners by 2024.

This government does not like pensioners. This government attacks pensioners. This government wants to increase the pension age to 70. This government just does not understand that some people at 70 years of age are blue-collar workers and could not possibly work. Those opposite are showing their total lack of understanding of the people they represent in this parliament.

The Shortland electorate has 21,877 pensioners—the fifth most in New South Wales and the seventh most in Australia, but not quite as many as Paterson, which is the fourth. I wonder where the member for Paterson is and why he is not in here today standing up for the pensioners in Paterson. The pensioners in Paterson look to him to represent them in this parliament.

I hate to report this to the parliament, but pensioners do not trust the Abbott government. That may surprise those on the other side of this House, but it is not a surprise to any of us here. We all know that you cannot trust the Abbott government. We all know that the Abbott government has made cuts to pensions, has attacked Medicare, has increased the cost of medication and has increased the fuel tax. This government is constantly attacking pensioners. The Abbott government does not like pensioners. It views them as a fiscal liability. It does not value the enormous contribution pensioners and our veterans have made, both in the past and on an ongoing basis—through, for example childcare and volunteerism—and it used the Intergenerational report to validate its attack on pensioners.

The Abbott government is attacking pensioners who have made Australia the great country it is today. My message to the Abbott government is: stop attacking pensioners. Stop attacking their standard of living. (Time expired)

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