THE HON JENNY MACKLIN MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FAMILIES AND SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER FOR JAGAJAGA
SENATOR LOUISE PRATT
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE HON ANNE ALY MP
MEMBER FOR COWAN
Pensioners in Cowan have today joined the Shadow Minister for Social Services, Jenny Macklin and Labor’s Anne Aly to discuss the Turnbull Government’s cuts to the Age Pension.
The message from pensioners in Cowan today was loud and clear: they are fed up with the Turnbull Government’s cuts to older Australians.
Around Cowan 980 pensioners will see an average cut to their pension of $132 a fortnight.
A further 380 local pensioners will lose their pension entirely, leaving them on average worse off by $196 a fortnight.
The legislation to change the pension assets test and cut the Age Pension passed the Parliament in June 2015 as part of a backroom deal between the Liberals and the Greens.
Labor voted against this cut to pensioners in the Parliament and we will continue to fight for a fair go for pensioners.
The Liberal Government’s track record on the Age Pension is nothing short of atrocious.
Before the 2013 election the Liberals promised “no cuts to pensions”.
Then in every single Budget the Liberals have tried to cut the pension.
In the 2014 Budget 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.
Then the Liberals did a deal with the Greens to cut the pension to around 330,000 Australian pensioners by changing the assets test.
The Liberals still want to increase the pension age to 70 – meaning Australia would have the oldest pension age in the developed world.
The Liberals want to abolish the Energy Supplement to pensioners – a cut of $14.10 per fortnight to single pensioners or $365 a year. Couple pensioners will be $21.20 a fortnight worse off or around $550 a year worse off.
On top of all that around 190,000 pensioners will have their pension cut as a result of Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to limit overseas travel for Australian pensioners.
Cutting the pension shows just how out of touch Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals really are.
They are ripping away the pension from older Australians and at the same time they trying to give a $50 billion handout to big business and the banks.
Mr Turnbull should explain why he thinks it’s fair for Australian pensioners to have their pension cut while some massive multinational companies pay little or no tax.
Only Labor will stand up for West Australian pensioners.
