David Feeney Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice
2:30 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Now that the Prime Minister has suffered a humiliating defeat on his cruel cuts to veterans' pensions, will the Prime Minister acknowledge that his harsh cut will never get through the parliament and rule out including it as a savings measure in the government's Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
2:31 pm
There are no cuts, and the member who asked the question should not mislead the parliament like that.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The members for Grayndler and Gorton will desist.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
What is happening is that the indexation measures which this government is proposing for all social security benefits are the same indexation measures that members opposite believe are right and proper for the family tax benefit. If it is an indexation system which they think is proper for one very important social service benefit, it is surely right and proper for other social service benefits. What this government is seeking to do is exactly what we told people at the election: to restore our budgetary position and bring the budget back under control. Once upon a time even the Leader of the Opposition—
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Gorton. The member for Sydney.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
thought it was important to bring the budget back to surplus. He kept talking to his own constituents about a budget surplus for a strong economy.
Mr Dreyfus interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
He did not only say that once on the front of his newsletter, 'a budget surplus for a strong economy'; if you go into the newsletter he goes on to say they are back in surplus 'on time, as promised.' I mean, really! But there was some sense in it. He said: 'In these uncertain global times there's no clearer sign of a strong economy than a surplus.' He is right there.
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Prime Minister is not even attempting to be relevant to the question. This material has nothing to do with the question.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I know the members opposite do not like being reminded of what they have said, but the Leader of the Opposition said—
Ms Claydon interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Newcastle is not in her seat and may not interject!
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
When he was a minister in the government, he said: 'In these uncertain global times there's no clearer sign of a strong economy than a surplus.' And he was right; but then he went on to say, 'We've delivered a surplus on time, as promised.' He was wrong—very, very wrong.
The simple truth is that when it comes to members opposite—when it comes to the Labor Party—they were failures in government and now they are wreckers in opposition.
Mr Mitchell interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
But we will get on with the job the public elected us to do: getting the budget back under control.