Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister has said that he would find it impossible to live on the pension of $273 a week, why won’t the Prime Minister support the coalition’s plan to increase the pension by $30 a week before he jets off to address the United Nations in New York next week?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Liberal Party indicated only a few months ago he had no policy to increase the pension. That is the first point.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We didn’t have one then but we’ve got one now.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The interjection from the Leader of the Liberal Party is, ‘We didn’t have one then but we’ve got one now.’

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The further interjection from the Leader of the Liberal Party is, ‘We don’t make policy on the run.’ I would have thought that when you deliver the budget reply, which was then delivered on behalf of the opposition, that is the formal response to the government’s position. In that government budget we outlined our proposal to increase the allocations to pensioners through the utilities allowance and the telephone allowance, which actually represented something like a doubling, almost, of the additional payments to pensioners made in the previous Liberal budget. That is the first point.

Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: can’t you get the Prime Minister to give a straight answer? The question was about $273.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Tangney will resume his seat. That was not a point of order, and I warn the member for Tangney.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The second part of the answer is that, consistent with the position again adopted by the Liberal Party in support of the Senate inquiry on pensions and retirement incomes, that review is underway. That is the review which you also called for, and the government will deliver a comprehensive package of reform based on it.

The third part is this: the proposal put forward by the Liberal Party excludes 2.2 million pensioners—carers, widows, and others. We, therefore, do not believe in that sort of policy on the run. We believe in comprehensive reform. That is what is necessary for all pensioners and carers out there—not the single, opportunistic call on domestic party politics which has been made by those opposite.