House debates Questions without Notice
Budget: Pensions
Tanya Plibersek Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2:22 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election the Prime Minister said it was not fair to apply the CPI to the pensions of those who had risked their lives for our country. The Prime Minister is now cutting the indexation arrangements for 84,202 war widow pensioners to CPI. Why did the Prime Minister break his promise to veterans and war widows?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
We made a specific commitment to people on DFRDB and DFRB pensions and we have honoured that specific commitment—we have absolutely honoured that specific commitment. I make the point that I made in answer to the earlier question from the member for Lingiari: no military pensioner will receive an inferior rate of indexation to a civilian one. Unlike members opposite who make commitments to veterans in opposition which they break in government, we make commitments to veterans in opposition and we have absolutely honoured them in government.