Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:59 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has said that this was a budget of tough choices. How tough was it for the Prime Minister to choose between ripping $160 billion a fortnight out of the pockets of single pensioners—
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Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
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Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
$160 per fortnight out of the pockets of pensioners, or giving $50,000 to multimillionaires who do not need it?
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
Madam Speaker, on a point of order, apart from the shouting and the argument, the Leader of the Opposition said that there was $160 billion in the pockets of pensioners, in which case I doubt they would be getting the age pension. He might want to rephrase the question.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition might take the opportunity to correct his figures.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
I certainly will. How tough was it for the Prime Minister in this budget of tough choices to rip $160 per fortnight away from single pensioners—$450 million overall in cuts—while at the same time paying $50,000 in paid parental leave to people that Australia knows do not need the money?
Honourable members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I call the Prime Minister, and I will have silence on my right and left.
Natasha Griggs Solomon, Country Liberal Party
Lucky you weren't the Treasurer.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
You don't have to worry about it!
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
And the Leader of the Opposition will desist. The Prime Minister has the call and we will have silence.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
3:01 pm
The Leader of the Opposition should tell the truth to the Australian people—
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
From you!
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
and the truth is that pensions will go up every six months.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Isaacs has been warned, I would remind him.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Pensions will go up every six months. The only difference is that, from 2017, pensions will go up by the same indexation method that the shadow minister for social services applied to family tax benefit. That is the truth, and the Leader of the Opposition should stop scaring the pensioners of Australia.
As for this Paid Parental Leave scheme, which the Leader of the Opposition is a little obsessed with—and I do not know why he is so frightened of letting the women in the workplaces of Australia get a fair deal at last. I mean, why are the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition so against the women in the workplaces of Australia getting a fair deal at last?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
That is right. When the public servants who used to work with her as a minister took paid parental leave, they got their paid parental leave at full pay. What was wrong with that for them? If they got paid at their full pay, why shouldn't the women working for supermarkets and factories and small businesses right around our country? Why shouldn't they get the same deal that has long been given to the public servants of Australia?
Warren Snowdon Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories
They won't get $50,000 a year.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Let us scotch this myth that somehow paid parental leave is going to benefit wealthy women. Ninety-eight per cent of the women in the workforce of this country earn less than $100,000, and they deserve a fair go, and they will get a fair go under this government.