Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:29 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to this fact sheet circulated by the member for Perth to her constituents.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
I am just referring to it. It says, 'The government is delivering on its election commitment to support veterans by improving—
Government members interjecting—
I meant the member for Curtin. I refer to the fact sheet sent out by our friend the Minister for Foreign Affairs which says, 'The government is delivering on its election commitment to support veterans by improving the way that their pensions are indexed.' Given that the Prime Minister is actually cutting the indexation of veterans' pensions, why are members of his government using taxpayers' money to peddle his lies?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will rephrase the last part of his question.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
Given that the Prime Minister is actually cutting indexation of veterans' pensions, why are members of his government using taxpayers' money to peddle the fairytales of this Prime Minister?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I am not sure that was much of an improvement.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
2:31 pm
I can understand why the Leader of the Opposition is a bit obsessed with the member for Perth—because she is the member who wants to scrap the mining tax! The newsletter put out by the Minister for Foreign Affairs is entirely accurate. It is entirely accurate because we are improving indexation for the DFRDB and the DFRB pensions—as we promised. We are delivering precisely on our promise. But when it comes to dodgy newsletters, what about the Leader of the Opposition's?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
We are not having a competition in props. There will be none.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
His newsletter—I must say that he looks a bit younger in the photograph in that newsletter; the pressure is getting to him—from 2012 promised, in big print on the front page, 'a budget surplus for a strong economy'. When? Throughout this mendacious document—
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
On a point of order, Madam Speaker: page 203 of your budget papers shows cuts to veterans' pensions.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
When it comes to newsletters, the Leader of the Opposition is an absolutely serial deceiver of his electorate and a serial deceiver of the Australian people. If you cannot trust the Leader of the Opposition even to get a question right, why would you ever trust him with the future of this country?