Pensions and Benefits

The majority voted against suspending the usual procedural rules (known as standing orders) so that MP for Rankin Jim Chalmers can move his motion.

Motion text

That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Rankin from moving the following motion immediately:

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Member for Hughes has called for the family home to be included in the pension assets test, meaning more retirees will be pushed off the pension, out of their homes or both;

(b) twelve members of the Government have now called for changes to the legislated increase to the superannuation guarantee;

(c) the Government has already short-changed pensioners by refusing to properly adjust deeming rates for years despite five interest rate cuts;

(d) the Government made a deal with the Greens to change the pension asset test, which meant that the pension was cut for 370,000 pensioners, with 88,000 losing their pension altogether;

(e) the Government tried to scrap the Energy Supplement for years, meaning 1.5 million pensioners would have had their payments cut;

(f) the Government has repeatedly sought to raise the pension age to 70;

(g) the Government tried to cut pension indexation in the 2014 Budget, which would have forced pensioners to live on $80 a week less within ten years; and

(h) the Government cut $1 billion from pensioner concessions in the 2014 Budget; and

(2) therefore, condemns the Government for undermining the retirement incomes of millions of Australians.