Don't blame retirees for the pension increase

The Government gave a payment to pensioners in December, with $1,400 for singles and $2,100 for couples, which was timely and needed. However it was a one-off, and since then pensioners have been told to wait for a review of the base pension rate, conducted by Ms Macklin's departmental head, Jeff Harmer.

That review was handed to the Government in late February but instead of making the details of the review public, the report was kept private by the Rudd Government with any decisions to be part of the Federal Budget. So for some time now the Government message to retirees has been - we will tell you when we want to.

More than two million Australians over 65 receive a full or part pension and retirees facing economic hardship would be unhappy about some of the latest Rudd economic stimulus package payments going to expatriates and even some prisoners in jails.

Meanwhile retirees are being told to wait, ignoring the fact that the December payments would already be eaten up by bills now. Pensioners can’t budget for their future when they don’t know what their pensions will be.

A typical couple receive an aged pension of about $1,040, (including rent assistance where needed), per fortnight compared with the single pension rate of around $560 with rent assistance per fortnight.

I can quote a Queensland example where a couple reportedly paid $626 in rent, leaving just $414 to pay bills, buy food and run their car for two weeks.

An increase of $30 a week in the singles rate would be welcomed, but what about the couples? All this talk of raising the pension rate to a certain percentage of the couples’ rate is disquieting to couples. It strongly suggests they will get nothing.

During negotiations over the $42 billion stimulus package, the Government promised to lift the single pension by $30 a week, indicating the single aged pension rate would be raised to two-thirds of the married rate.

Now is the time for the Federal Government to speak up and state whether the couples pension rate will also be increased, and if not, why not?

Above all, it is also time for the Government and its Treasurer to acknowledge that retirees deserve the pension boost coming to them, and not use pensioners as a scapegoat or community whipping boy, to bear the brunt of voter lashback over harsh economic decisions contained in the 2009 Budget.