5 years ago
NOTHING CAN CHANGE SCOTT MORRISON'S RECORD ON THE PENSION
THE HON LINDA BURNEY MP
Scott Morrison’s one-off energy payment is cynical pre-election politics that pensioners and social security recipients will see right through.
They have not forgotten that the Liberals and Nationals have tried to cut the pension in every budget – and Scott Morrison was the architect of plans to cut the energy supplement.
As Treasurer, he tried for years to cut the energy supplement for all new pensioners and social security recipients.
Cuts that would have hurt millions of Australians, including 1.5 million pensioners.
Scott Morrison’s plan would have cost a single pensioner $14.10 per fortnight or around $365 a year, and cut $21.20 a fortnight or around $550 a year from couple pensioners.
This wasn’t a plan for a one-off cut. It was a cut every fortnight, every year.
Labor opposed this cut and committed to reversing it.
Scott Morrison has spent the last five years – including three as Treasurer – trying to cut the pension and increase the pension age to 70.
This includes cutting pensioner concessions and a plan to cut pension indexation, that would have left pensioners $80 per week worse off.
The Government also did a deal with the Greens political party to change the assets test, cutting the pension for 370,000 Australians.
To top it all off, the Government still has legislation before the Parliament to cut the pension.
A leopard never changes its spots – pension cuts are in the Liberal-National DNA.
Labor has fought cuts to pensions at every turn. Pensioners will always be better off with a Labor government.
They have not forgotten that the Liberals and Nationals have tried to cut the pension in every budget – and Scott Morrison was the architect of plans to cut the energy supplement.
As Treasurer, he tried for years to cut the energy supplement for all new pensioners and social security recipients.
Cuts that would have hurt millions of Australians, including 1.5 million pensioners.
Scott Morrison’s plan would have cost a single pensioner $14.10 per fortnight or around $365 a year, and cut $21.20 a fortnight or around $550 a year from couple pensioners.
This wasn’t a plan for a one-off cut. It was a cut every fortnight, every year.
Labor opposed this cut and committed to reversing it.
Scott Morrison has spent the last five years – including three as Treasurer – trying to cut the pension and increase the pension age to 70.
This includes cutting pensioner concessions and a plan to cut pension indexation, that would have left pensioners $80 per week worse off.
The Government also did a deal with the Greens political party to change the assets test, cutting the pension for 370,000 Australians.
To top it all off, the Government still has legislation before the Parliament to cut the pension.
A leopard never changes its spots – pension cuts are in the Liberal-National DNA.
Labor has fought cuts to pensions at every turn. Pensioners will always be better off with a Labor government.