Pensioner safety nets disappearing
A voucher program for struggling pensioners has stopped taking on new clients just as they expect more same-sex pension couples to join the ranks of the barely coping.
Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW was flooded with applications for its $50 supermarket voucher program -” funded through donations -” and felt the 18-month waiting list was already too long.
CPSA policy coordinator Charmaine Crowe said she understands the concerns of same-sex couples who would have preferred the equality reforms not reduce their pension from the single rate to the couple rate.
Because the pension is so low at the moment, that’s going to be quite significant on people’s lifestyles, she said.
Crowe said the problem was the Rudd Government hadn’t kept its election promises to the pensioner community, such as keeping the seniors’ bonus payments, increasing the utilities allowance or expanding it to include disability pensioners.
The pension population were really expecting reform of the pension system by a new Labor government. Hence the uproar, she said.
They’ve made a commitment to pension reform in the next budget, but we don’t know if pension reform is going to mean an extra five dollars a week for people.
The single aged pension rate tops out at $562.10 per fortnight, while the couples rate is just $469.50 each per fortnight.
Crowe said responsibility to stop-gap the pension shortfalls shouldn’t rest on the shoulders of organisations like the CPSA.
At the moment the pension system requires income from other sources, like superannuation or work, so people can survive, but there are a huge number of people who don’t have extra income. It needs to provide enough income so it can be that safety net.
info: CPSA will hold a public forum on the need for pension improvements on 11 March at the Teachers Federation building. More information at cpsa.org.au.
CPSA coordinator Crowe is incorrect that the Utilities Allowance wasn’t expanded to include Disability pensioners — Disability pensioners do now get Utilities Allowance.
Indian giver.
Gay age pensioners are about to be plunged into greater poverty and are experiencing appalling anxiety and illness as a result of the unjust reforms which will force them out of the closet after lifetimes of prejudice, pain and single rate taxes, insurance, and no spouse rebates or other tax breaks…all their lives.
We need CPSA to support us, and the organisation will have a new arm of active supporters from our community, who care what happens to our elders.
We need a just pension and retirement income system, designed for the 21st century not based on outdated notions of breadwinner and wife – what rubbish.
Treat gay pensioners with the respect they deserve and STOP OUTING AGE PENSIONERS, S.O.A.P. – send a soap to the PM to let him know you are outraged by this treatment of our elders, it breaches basic human rights and privacy.
From http://www.smh.com.au/national/30-pay-increase-for-pensioners-20090221-8e8w.html?page=-1 (SMH, 22 Feb 2009):
SINGLE aged pensioners are in for a pay boost of about $30 a week in the May budget as the Government prepares to accept the findings of a review that criticises the current payment as inadequate.
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin told The Sun-Herald yesterday the Government was committed in the budget to addressing the adequacy of the pension.
“The Government gave a down payment to pensioners in December, when we paid the $1400 for singles and $2100 for couples, because we really do understand how difficult it is for pensioners.
“We’re serious about fixing this.”
[…]
Council on the Ageing NSW President Kath Brewster said […] “We should not allow the current financial crisis to deflect us from the reform agenda. The task is to design a viable system of adequate pension entitlements as a genuine pillar of Australia’s retirement income system.”
The Harmer review has also scrutinised the level of support payments for carers and those on disability pensions.
[…]