5 years ago
MORE LIBERAL NATIONAL PENSION CUTS BEFORE THE PARLIAMENT
LINDA BURNEY MP
The Morrison Government’s cruel cuts to the pension are set to be debated before the Parliament this week.
The Morrison Government is proposing to stop the age pension supplement for pensioners who spend more than six weeks overseas.
These pension cuts will particularly hurt hardworking migrant pensioners visiting family overseas, or who need to spend extended time caring for relatives or grandchildren.
The Liberals also want to increase the residency requirement for the pension from 10 to 15 years.
Making people wait longer to get the pension will only force some older Australians to go without, struggle or live in poverty.
The Liberals and Nationals are obsessed with cutting the pension – attempting to cut the pension in every budget, every year:
The Morrison Government is proposing to stop the age pension supplement for pensioners who spend more than six weeks overseas.
These pension cuts will particularly hurt hardworking migrant pensioners visiting family overseas, or who need to spend extended time caring for relatives or grandchildren.
The Liberals also want to increase the residency requirement for the pension from 10 to 15 years.
Making people wait longer to get the pension will only force some older Australians to go without, struggle or live in poverty.
The Liberals and Nationals are obsessed with cutting the pension – attempting to cut the pension in every budget, every year:
- In 2014, they tried to cut pension indexation – a cut that would have meant pensioners would be forced to live on $80 a week less within ten years.
- In 2014, they cut $1 billion from pensioner concessions – support designed to help pensioners with the cost of living.
- In 2014, they axed the $900 seniors supplement to self-funded retirees receiving the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
- In 2014, they tried to reset deeming rates thresholds – a cut that would have seen half a million part-pensioners made worse off.
- In 2015, they did a deal with the Greens to cut the pension to around 370,000 pensioners by as much as $12,000 a year by changing the pension assets test.
- In 2016, they tried to cut the pension to around 190,000 pensioners as part of a plan to limit overseas travel for pensioners to six weeks.
- In 2016, they tried to cut the pension for over 1.5 million Australians, by scrapping the energy supplement for new pensioners.
- The Government’s own figures show this would have left over 563,000 Australians who are currently receiving a pension or allowance worse-off. Over 10 years, in excess of 1.5 million pensioners would be worse off.
- They spent five years trying to increase the pension age to 70.
- And the Government continues to shortchange pensioners with its inequitable deeming rates while interest rates remain at record lows.