HomeMedia Releases MORE THAN THREE MILLION AUSTRALIANS TO BENEFIT FROM INCREASED SUPPORT
MORE THAN THREE MILLION AUSTRALIANS TO BENEFIT FROM INCREASED SUPPORT
By Nicholas Stanton,
Pensioners, self funded retirees and carers in Townsville will benefit from the Coalition’s comprehensive plan to ensure all Australians share in the benefits of our strong and growing national economy.
“More than 3 million Australians will benefit from a re-elected
Coalition Government’s plans to reward and encourage those who have
contributed, and continue to contribute, so much to our community,”
Member for Herbert, Peter Lindsay. said.
“More than 2 million older Australians of Age Pension age on income
support, including 8,986 residents in Townsville will benefit from the
Coalition’s plan to increase the Utilities Allowance to $500 per year
per single, and $500 per year for a couple.
“The Coalition recognises the emotional and financial burden that many
carers carry by caring for a loved one who is disabled or frail aged.
“More than 588 carers in receipt of Carer Payment in Townsville will
benefit from the Coalition’s plan to, for the first time, extend the
Utilities Allowance to all carers on Carer Payment.
“The Coalition understands that many people in receipt of the
Disability Support Pension are profoundly disabled and are unable to
benefit from Australia’s current strong labour market.
“That is why a re-elected Coalition Government will pay the Utilities
Allowance to all disability support pensioners, including more than
3,776 people in Townsville.”
Extensions to the Utilities Allowance will take effect from 20 March 2008.
Mr Lindsay said the Coalition would also continue our strong support
for self funded retirees, who have made a significant contribution to
funding their own retirement, by more than doubling the Seniors
Concession Allowance to $500 from June 2008.
These increases are in addition to the bonuses delivered by the Howard Government in recent Federal Budgets, including:
•A bonus payment equivalent to the annual amount of Utilities Allowance to each person of Age Pension age in 2006-07; and
•A one-off Seniors Bonus of $500 to everyone of Age Pension age
eligible for the Utilities Allowance or the Seniors Concession
Allowance in the 2007-08 Federal Budget.
These new payments do not preclude consideration of further bonuses as economic conditions allow.
Mr Lindsay said the Coalition would provide pensioners in Townsville
with greater peace of mind that their incomes will keep pace with
increases in the cost of the items that make up their household budget.
“A re-elected Coalition Government will introduce a new Cost of Living
Guarantee to ensure that if living costs for pensioners increase faster
than general inflation or wages, pensions will be topped up to ensure
that pensioners are fully compensated for increases in the cost of
living.”
This guarantee will commence from August 2008 when the next Australian
Bureau of Statistics Living Cost Index for Age Pensioner Households is
published.
“The Coalition will also ensure that Australian pensioners and other
low income households are not disadvantaged by higher electricity and
other charges that will result from our nation’s need to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of climate change,” Mr
Lindsay said.
“Earlier this year the Coalition announced it would implement a
national emissions trading scheme as part of our comprehensive plan to
address climate change. Recently the Prime Minister announced a
re-elected Coalition Government will use some of the proceeds of an
auction of carbon credits under the new scheme to establish a Climate
Change Fund.
“One role of the Climate Change Fund will be to lessen the impact on
pensioners and other low income households of Australia’s move to a
carbon constrained world.”
“This increased assistance for local pensioners, carers, disability
support pensioners and self-funded retires is possible only because of
the strong economy the Coalition has delivered to Australians,” Mr
Lindsay said.
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Increase Support
By: AlanK (Registered ) on 10-11-2007 01:36
Please let me insert another thought into this thread.
One SURE way for the Howard Government to be returned at the forthcoming election would be for Mr Howard to announce a binding contract between himself and the electorate, to ABOLISH the means test for pensioners and carers of ALL types.
I could see a few million votes going his way immediately! Labor would be lucky to win more than a couple of seats.
Off course, if Mr Rudd did not “me too” he would be gone, relegated into history along with other Labor luminaries. Now, after Mr Rudd “me too’d” a whole new mix enters the campaign.
If Mr Rudd was the first to make the announcement, he would have the front foot, and the following.
Could someone “please explain” why we are about the only country to means test for pensions? Not just a glib explanation, but something deep and meaningful and without the ‘pollie speak’.
There is nothing about the Review of Military Superannuation, nothing about the PM's Veterans' Advisory Committee, nothing about indexation of pensions and nothing about the disparity between the pensions paid to spouses of deceased politicians compared to the pension received by the spouses of deceased veterans/DFRB/DFRDB pensioners, and how these pensions are indexed? The government has sat on the recommendations for the last 4 months, what are they hiding, when are they going to release this information?
Is this all we are going to receive before the election? The ALP has a already released 28 page document.
Am I missing something here or is the Liberal Government saying "Up yours, veterans and DFRb/DFRDB pensioners"?
They are happy to take huge rises to their pay and perks. They got a 6.7% increase to their already inflated salaries the same week they told veterans a 2% increase was all the country could afford.
Veterans served Australia by swearing an oath to put their lives on the line if necessary I think they deserve better than a few scraps from the table of such a rich and prosperous country.
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