Senator WALSH (Victoria) (15:22): I rise to take note of answers to questions asked by Senators Keneally, Brown and Polley regarding the government's record on the age pension and older Australians. What a terrible record it is. In answer to the question, 'Since 2014, how many budgets have included cuts to the pension?' Minister Ruston said the government has, and I quote, 'a very proud record of looking after older Australians'. She said that this government could be 'trusted to look after older Australians'. But in fact this is a government that has consistently planned to increase the age for receipt of the age pension to 70. This is a government that wants older Australians to work till the age of 70 before they can access the age pension. When asked about this, Minister Ruston said this is a government that is 'looking after older Australians' and that this is a government that 'backs older Australians.' Let's take a look at how the government has backed older Australians, how it's looked after older Australians. Let's look at its proud record for older Australians. We got no answer to Senator Brown's question about how many pensioners will get the promised boost to pensions of $800 due to deeming rate changes. Of the 2.5 million pensioners, less than one per cent will get that promised amount; 99 per cent won't get that promised $800. Minister Ruston cannot explain how that fact backs older Australians. This government has tried to cut the pension in every one of its budgets. And of course we have a minister who earlier this year famously called the pension 'generous'. What about Minister Colbeck's comments on the more than 129,000 older Australians who are waiting for a home care package? These people who are in desperate and genuine need right now, today. The minister had no answer for them whatsoever. He had no answer for those 129,000 Australians who are in desperate need right now, today. They, and all Australians, deserve answers to these questions. Those Australians deserve answers on all those questions. Let's have a look at this government's 'proud record' in backing older Australians. In fact, this third-term coalition government has not backed older Australians. It has attacked older Australians. Their record really says it all. Since being elected in 2013 they have tried to cut pension indexation, which would force pensioners to live on just $80 a week within 10 years. That is if they had been successful. They did cut $1 billion from pension concessions—concessions that had helped pensioners with the cost of living. They did cut the $900 senior supplements card for self-funded retirees. They've tried to cut the pension for those going overseas, which would have left 190,000 pensioners worse off. And they did cut the pension for 370,000 pensioners by changing the assets test. Those pensioners lost up to $12,000 a year. They've also tried to cut the energy supplement for new pensioners, a supplement meant to help older Australians keep themselves warm in winter and cool in summer. Again, this is a government with a 'proud record'; this is a government that 'backs older Australians'; this is a government that older Australians 'can count on'. On top of all of this, they've spent five years trying to increase the pension age to 70. The record is pretty clear: this government does not respect older Australians. On its own record, this is not a government that backs older Australians. This is not a government that has a proud record for older Australians, as it claimed today. Question agreed to.