Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister rule out making any cuts to pensioners in this year's budget?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. The budget is less than two months away. I can assure Australians, and I assure honourable members, there will be no change to the current rules that provide aged pensioners on the taper rate with a minimum payment per fortnight. The proposal that was referred to and then picked up by the opposition leader over the weekend was no more than a suggestion put forward by a department and immediately rejected by the government. There is no place for that proposal in the budget, and I can give the honourable member complete assurance on that point.