Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister will not guarantee that carers and seniors lump sum payments will continue in this budget, and if he will not guarantee an increase in the basic rate of payment to carers and seniors, how will he ensure that carers and seniors will not be a dollar worse off in the budget, as he has just assured the House? Further, does he really understand the anxiety that his indecision and vacillation is causing some of the most vulnerable people in our country?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said the other day, there is no intention whatsoever on the part of the government to leave carers or pensioners in the lurch. The government that I lead takes seriously the concerns of working families, takes seriously the concerns of pensioners and takes seriously the concerns of carers. In my engagement with carers right across the country—hundreds and thousands of them, right across Australia—the work that they do is to be admired and supported by the community and supported by appropriate payments from the taxpayer. I confirm again, for the benefit of the honourable member, that carers, when it comes to bonuses, will not be a dollar worse off as a consequence of this budget and nor will pensioners.