LABOR TO OPPOSE ABBOTT’S PENSION ATTACK

Media Release

Jenny Macklin MP.

Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
 Shadow Minister for Disability Reform

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Labor will oppose Tony Abbott’s savage attack on Australia’s pension system and the millions of Australian pensioners who rely on it.

Labor will oppose Tony Abbott’s decision to increase the pension age to 70.

Increasing the pension age to 70 will unfairly hurt blue collar workers, low income workers and women.

Labor’s increase of the pension age to 67 by 2023 was supported by a comprehensive review into Australia’s pension system and a significant improvement to the base rate for the pension and improvements to indexation.

Tony Abbott has provided no evidence to support an increase in the Age Pension age to 70.

Age discrimination in the workplace in a serious problem and many older Australians already find it hard to get a job.

Increasing the Age Pension age to 70 will mean Australia has the highest pension age across the OECD.

Labor will also oppose Tony Abbott’s plans to cut the pension with lower indexation arrangements for the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carers Payment, Veterans’ Pensions, Wife and Widow Pension and Parenting Payment Single.

We will oppose this unprecedented attack on the standard of living of Australia’s 3.2 million pensioners, because Australian pensioners deserve a decent standard of living.

This is what Tony Abbott promised them before the election when he said:

“No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS.”

TONY ABBOTT –INTERVIEW – 6 SEPTEMBER 2013

Tony Abbott has broken this promise. Tony Abbott has betrayed Australian pensioners.