Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, in 2019 you explicitly stated that the TPI Federation had a compelling case to restore the eroded compensation of Australia's 28,000 totally and permanently incapacitated veterans. More recently, a Senate inquiry into the matter recommended that the Australian government consider an increase in the TPI payment to arrest and remedy the seven-decade decline in the real value of compensation. Prime Minister, will the government finally stop the delays, rhetoric and obfuscation and recognise the injustice being perpetrated against our TPI veterans? In particular, will the government rightly increase their payments in the 2020-21 MYEFO so that the economic loss component is benchmarked to the tax-adjusted minimum wage?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and his keen interest in this issue. The government honours and respects the service of our TPI veterans, whose wellbeing has been severely impacted by their service. I have met with the TPI Federation and I have heard their case directly. I commissioned an independent review, as you know, of the TPI payment, which was undertaken by the respected former secretary of the Department of Finance, Mr David Tune. Mr Tune made a number of recommendations that the government accepted and progressed in the 2020-21 budget, which included changes to the disability pension which were then brought forward to be implemented sooner in the 2021-22 budget.

We welcomed the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee report into the TPI payment, and we commend the committee for the thoroughness with which it considered the complex issues raised in the course of that inquiry. We will now consider those recommendations of the committee together with the views of the ex-service community and the previous reviews undertaken into the TPI payment when considering future policy options for support of TPI veterans. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs may wish to add to my answer.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also thank the member for Clark for his question and acknowledge his service in the Australian Army. On this side of the House, we have many veterans, as there are on that side of the House as well, and we know how important it is to make sure that our veterans and their families have the best possible care our country can provide.

As the Prime Minister has stated, David Tune did carry out an independent review of TPI payments, and the Australian government, our government, has accepted all of those recommendations. One of his recommendations was to provide targeted assistance to TPI veterans with income-tested pension who pay private rent. In short, he recommended that we abolish the disability income rent test from the Veterans' Entitlement Act, or VEA. This recommendation is addressed in our bill before the parliament at the moment, the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Exempting Disability Payments from Income Testing and Other Measures) Bill 2021. It's in this House at the moment. That bill will ensure that disabled veterans will now have the same access to rent assistance as those Australians who receive it from Centrelink. It addresses a key finding of the Tune review.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Clark, on a point of order?

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, on relevance. The question goes to the issue of the erosion in real value of the TPI pension over 70 years, which I understand now is only about 60 per cent of its value in real terms compared to its—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Clark has raised his point of order. It is not an opportunity to relitigate the question. The minister will return to the question, please.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would urge all members of this House and also the other place to support this very important legislation next week and get it passed. In terms of issues relating to MYEFO, they are a matter for the Treasurer. But, if the member for Clark, or anyone from that side of the House, would like to come and discuss those issues, my door is always open. We'll even put the kettle on for you, Member for Clark.