Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

In responding to Senator Stephens’s comments, I say this is really a question of trust. It is not a personal distrust of you, Senator Stephens, and I hope you understand that. This is a question of how we can trust a government that are implementing measures that are going to have a negative impact upon thousands of people which they did not disclose during an election campaign. The first of our amendments is designed to ensure that the parliament and the Australian people will be able to rely upon an effective reporting mechanism, so that we are not going to see a government, any government, hide and cover up the true impact on people of their sneaky legislation. Whilst we could play tit for tat about numbers and how many people are affected, I think it is fair to say that if your figures are indeed correct the reason that incorrect figures have been suggested in this chamber is that there was a lack of clarity in the hearing on Friday. But, irrespective of who is right, it is a simple matter of what is right.

You have 14,000 people who, by your own estimates, are going to be negatively impacted by this legislation. It is 14,000 people too many, quite frankly. And it is too many, because you did not telegraph your punches. No member of this government went out there and said, ‘We are going to remove your seniors health card.’ No-one went out there and said, ‘We are going to remove your access to partner service pensions.’ If you had done that, and veterans and their families and seniors had gone along and voted for you, then perhaps you could have claimed that this is a genuine, reasonable piece of legislation to implement—but you cannot. You are cobbling it together, you are trying to take advantage of vulnerable people and you are trying to take away their benefits and entitlements to save a few dollars. It is really not the right thing to do. That is why we want those two provisions removed from this bill.