Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's two most recent answers, and to a statement I have received from David Spillman, President of the Kwinana RSL in Western Australia, who has said, 'when Western Australians fight for Australia, get injured for Australia, and die for Australia, we do not think it is too much to ask for their kids to get a helping hand'. We are shocked the Prime Minister would cut something that helps the kids of RSL members. When will the Prime Minister reverse his callous, hard-hearted decision?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition is trying to suggest that somehow we are singling out the children of veterans for bad treatment. We are not. We are removing the income support bonus as we committed to doing before the election, because it is a payment funded by the mining tax, and the mining tax is not raising any money. There are tens of thousands of people who will lose the income support bonus, and I do not suppose that any of them will be very happy to lose it. But I do imagine that most of them will understand that the government made this commitment up-front, before the election, and we will deliver upon it after the election.

But this idea that the children of veterans are somehow being singled out for mistreatment by government is simply false. It is simply false. It is an outrageous smear and it is a comment on this Leader of the Opposition that he should suggest that we are somehow targeting veterans' children. Let me say that the children of veterans, depending upon their circumstances, will receive annual payments of up to $13,312 a year and there are additional payments for single orphans of up to $1,036 a year. They are the facts. Now, it is true that tens of thousands of people will no longer get the particular bonus in question.

But, as I said, it was a policy that we took to the election and we were absolutely up-front with people. People were under no illusions as to what was happening. This particular payment was going, and it will go.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I seek to table the statement from Dave Spillman, President of the Kwinana RSL.

Leave not granted.