Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

It is with some regret that I have to inform the Senate that those opposite do not support the measures that we are taking to assist senior citizens. Of course, they are happy to stigmatise people who get support from government. Those opposite do not say very much about their policies, but what we have seen in recent times is an insight into their thinking. The member for North Sydney has railed against people who he says have a sense of entitlement. The member for Mayo has recently told us:

Pensions, disability support, family tax benefits and childcare support, among others, create a cycle of dependency for millions of Australians.

They think that support equals dependency. So we know that they will cut the Clean Energy Future Household Assistance Package. We know that they will take more than $1 billion back from the support that this government is providing to pensioners. For those opposite, when it comes to services to senior citizens, it is not a matter for them of just leaving people behind— (Time expired)