Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's promise before the election that there would be no changes to pensions. Hasn't the Prime Minister broken this promise by cutting indexation of pensions? Won't these cuts hurt the elderly, the disabled and war veterans and leave millions of pensioners worse off?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the first decisions that we as a government sought to implement on coming to power, courtesy of the support of the Australian people, was to remove the $550 impost per average family household of the carbon tax—no thanks to the Labor Party, who promised the pensioners of Australia no carbon tax and then implemented one. They then went to the election saying there would not be a carbon tax and they would get rid of it, and then they constantly voted against it, until, thank goodness, there was a breath of fresh air in the Senate, with some senators who were willing to listen to the Australian people. So, on the cost of living for the average family household—and that of course also transfers to the pensioner community in our midst—there was a real reduction.

In relation to pension increases, let us remember that Australian history did not start on 8 September 2013. We had a lot of legacy issues to deal with. When the Australian Labor Party kicked off the 2013 election campaign, they told the Australian people that there was an $18,000 million deficit. When the books were closed for that financial year, it had blown out to $48,000 million—a shortfall of $30,000 million in just one year. The Australian people expect us to take action in circumstances where there has been a $30,000 million shortfall in the budget in the circumstances which Labor went to the Australian people on and which we then inherited. There are legacy issues which we are seeking to fix; but, for the pensioner community, we got rid of the carbon tax, which has assisted them. (Time expired)

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the Prime Minister's promise: no cuts to the ABC or SBS. Hasn't the Prime Minister broken this promise by cutting more than $500 million from the ABC and SBS? Won't these cuts cost 400 jobs, reduce public broadcasting services and hurt regional communities?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think the Australian people fully recognise that the ABC can make some savings, without the need to cut programs. Just one example: for the broadcasting of the Asian Cup, SBS put in a bid for three-quarters of a million dollars that they could have completely recouped with advertising dollars. What did the ABC do? It came along and put in a bid of one and a half million dollars and no money to be recouped—a $1.5 million expense to the Australian taxpayer.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance to the two questions asked. One was about the Prime Minister's promise about cutting, and the second one was about the cuts to jobs and public broadcasting services in regional communities. The minister has not moved on those two questions.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is addressing the question. He has 24 seconds left. He has finished his answer?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have finished my answer.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise to be the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs. Can the minister confirm that the Prime Minister has cut over half a billion dollars from services to Indigenous communities? Why is the Prime Minister intent on hurting the most vulnerable people in Australia and changing the country for the worse?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Money does not necessarily equal services. He is the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs.

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.