PENSIONERS

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the minister representing the Minister for Housing on the subject of the recent rent increases for pensioners.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Members would be aware that, when the former prime minister, Kevin Rudd, announced the $30 rise to weekly pensions in the May 2009 budget, he wrote to all premiers and chief ministers demanding that state housing authorities allow the entire extra benefit to flow to pensioners. It was a rise that was much needed and long overdue.

As we know, this state government has now flagged an increase in housing trust rents in the recent state budget, and that will in fact be an increase for many of our pensioners. They rightly feel betrayed but so does the federal government. My question to the minister is this: is the minister aware of the words of minister Macklin, just over a week ago, where she noted that she had in fact previously made that request to all states and territories to make sure the pension rise from back in 2009 stays in the pockets of the pensioner, that she did not want it eaten up by state government public housing authorities, and that she would keep pressing all the states—and specifically, on FIVEaa, she cited South Australia—to make sure that this is the case?

She noted that New South Wales had tried to renege on this agreement and that she had an exchange with them and they were now complying. Has the minister received any communications or representations from minister Macklin, and is the minister prepared to break a promise to her own party and her own federal government, as well as the pensioners of Australia?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. Indeed, the government has said time and time again that this was an extremely challenging and difficult budget that required extreme and serious measures. The housing concessions were one of those that we obviously considered very carefully—a whole suite of matters—and we ended up choosing those we believed would bring about the long-term sustainability of this state. It was not an easy decision but an extremely difficult decision, and one of those unfortunate decisions that we ended up making. In terms of the details of the questions the honourable member has asked, I am happy to refer them to the Minister for Housing in another place and bring back a response.