Peter Hendy (Eden-Monaro, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Defence. How is the government assisting retired Australian Defence personnel and their families by providing for fair indexation of military superannuation pensions? To superannuants in my electorate of Eden-Monaro will benefit under the government's policy.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Member for Eden-Monaro for his question and acknowledge his longstanding and very strong support for the veteran community, not just in his electorate but around the country. Consistent with our election commitments, the government will provide fair indexation for DFRB and DFRDB military superannuant pensions to ensure a fair dinkum deal for our ADF personnel and their families. On 1 January this year we put in place our fair dinkum deal for free ADF health care for our families.

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lingiari will desist.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And if the Senate would move, we could actually save $80 million—

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

which is the cost to the Defence force on the carbon tax.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Member for Lingiari will remove himself from the House under 94(a).

The member for Lingiari then left the chamber.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator the Hon. Michael Ronaldson, and I have been working with the department to ensure this policy will be in place by 1 July this year. As a result of this policy, 57,000 DFRDB and DFRB superannuants will be better off. And I say to the Member for Eden-Monaro: that includes 813 retired Defence Force members and 132 dependants in your electorate. This initiative has been a long time coming. This week, this government will proudly put this legislation into the House to fulfil another election commitment we made to the Australian people and to Australia's veterans. We are proud to put the welfare of our veterans first and foremost.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

So let us compare this to those opposite—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Member for Jagajaga will desist, or leave—one or the other.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite did not even go to the election with a veterans' policy. In fact, your veterans' policy was a blank sheet of paper. In 2007 those opposite promised to index pensions, and then six long years later—six years of nothing, six years of self-serving reviews—they delivered nothing. And whilst the Labor opposition capitulated—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, a point of order under standing order 104(a): not only is he failing to be directorially relevant, but the comments he just made about 2007 are factually untrue.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. There are other forms of the House where one can debate statements that are made. The minister has the call.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is the great thing about the truth: it hurts, doesn't it. Six years of indecision, and six years of nothing. Well, veterans do not have to wait six years, six months, or even six days, because we will get this done in this House in the coming days. It was interesting to see in the last few days of last year's election the former government capitulate and put in a half-hearted attempt. Not an attempt to help veterans out, but an attempt to try to help Mike Kelly out in his seat of Eden-Monaro. Well, that didn't go so well, because the veterans saw through a half-hearted, 11th hour response. We will index military pensions. We will stand up for those who are serving. We will do it properly and we will do it now.