LABOR WILL SCRAP THE LIBERALS’ CUT TO LOCAL PENSIONERS

A Shorten Labor Government will scrap Brett Whiteley and Malcolm Turnbull’s planned cut to the energy supplement that North West and West Coast pensioners rely on.

Malcolm Turnbull’s latest budget locked-in his cut to the pension, delivering a cruel blow to pensioners who are already doing it tough under his Government.

Today Justine Keay and Linda Burney met with a local pensioner, who is one of the 1.5 million pensioners who stand to have their household budget cut by Brett Whiteley and Malcolm Turnbull.

The legislation to implement this cut is currently before the Parliament, and would scrap the energy supplement for anyone who has become a new pension or allowance recipient since 20 September 2016.

 

If Malcolm Turnbull gets this legislation through, in the 2020-21 financial year alone more than 592,000 age pensioners will have less in their pockets every fortnight – rising to 1.5 million age pensioners over the decade to 2028-29.

 

Axing the energy supplement will mean a cut of $14.10 per fortnight to single pensioners or around $365 a year, and a cut of $21.20 a fortnight or around $550 a year to couple pensioners.

 

“The choice is simple: with Labor, all pensioners will continue to get their energy supplement, under the Liberals they won’t,” Linda Burney said.

 

“At a time when energy prices are on the rise, the last thing that Australian pensioners need is a cut to their household budget.”

 

“Brett Whiteley and Malcom Turnbull have a history of voting to cut the pension – and now they want to make more cuts,” Justine Keay said.

 

“Pensioners are facing this cut so Brett Whiteley and Malcolm Turnbull can give their mates at the big banks $17 billion – it shows they have the wrong priorities.

 

“Every dollar counts when it comes to paying the bills and putting food on the table – that’s why Labor will reverse this cut.”

Labor’s commitment to stop the Liberals’ cut to the pension comes on top of a commitment for 50 extra Centrelink staff in Devonport and Burnie so locals can get access to the Medicare, social security, child care and veterans services they need.

“Too many people in our community have been forced to wait for months to get simple claims for the pension processed. It’s unacceptable and Labor will fix it,” Justine Keay said.

 

“This Saturday the voters of the North West and West Coasts have a chance to send a clear message to Malcolm Turnbull – stop cutting the pension and invest in local services,” Linda Burney said.