National Seniors slam budget
Single age pensioners, hoping for a reprieve from spiraling living costs in the Rudd Government’s first budget, will be bitterly disappointed this week.
Despite intense community pressure and a senate inquiry into the Cost Of Living Pressures on Older Australians which, earlier this year, acknowledged the inadequacy of the single age pension, the base pension rate has not been increased.
The National Seniors Association has slammed the Government for overlooking struggling pensioners in favour of working families.
Chief executive, Michel O’Neill, said older people entirely dependent on the single age pension – often women with no superannuation due to the circumstances of their times – represented Australia’s most vulnerable
seniors.
“These people who live off $273 a week while grappling with significant food, fuel and health cost increases are now starting to feel excluded under the Rudd Government’s Working Families mantra,” said Mr O’Neill.
“Seniors pushed this issue unsuccessfully during the Howard years. But with steeply rising living costs, a senate inquiry confirming what pensioners have known all along, and a new Government with a strong
sense of social justice, older Australians expected change.”
Whilst welcome, the continuation of one-off allowances and bonuses introduced by the Howard Government does not provide real short term relief or the basis for a sustainable pension long term.
Low-income self funded retirees will also be dismayed by moves in this budget to tighten access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Gross income from superannuation income streams from a taxed source, and income that is salary sacrificed to superannuation, will now be included in the Card’s income test.
Funding under a pre-election commitment to fix an anomaly in interstate seniors travel concessions, reported in last week’s Connect, is welcome.
