Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

After almost a year in office, the government continues to distinguish itself by the utter contempt it shows our older citizens. Dragged kicking and screaming by the opposition, flinching in the face of the financial crisis, it finally did as we had urged and made some extra funds available to pensioners. But what else has the government done to aid seniors, whose standard of living has steadily declined throughout its term in office? Government members should be hanging their heads in shame over the government’s treatment of seniors. Just last month the OECD reported that Australia has the fourth-highest poverty rate for over-65s among the world’s most developed nations. For singles aged over 65, Australia had the highest relative income poverty rate in the OECD. The Prime Minister said he could not survive on the age pension, yet he expects others to do so. The bonus payment promised last month is not going to provide any more than light relief, especially when we know the government is giving with one hand but planning to take away with the other.

There was a very disturbing report last month from the University of Western Australia’s School of Population Health which said pensioners were skipping potentially life-saving medication to save money. Pensioners’ use of essential medicines had fallen by up to 11 per cent as the price of filling their prescriptions rose to $5 early this year, one of the school’s research associates said. How much worse will things get when the government has its way next year and takes the Commonwealth seniors card from many retirees who are already struggling?

That is the government’s plan. They want to punish people who manage to put away some superannuation for their retirement by treating their super as assessable income so that they can steal the benefits of our seniors. Until now, that income from super has not formed part of the assessment for entitlement to cards which older Australians use to access a range of benefits, the most critical of which allows the purchase of medicine at highly subsidised prices. But this is what the government want to do, effective next financial year. It is a disgrace.

In my electorate of Tangney, more than 3,000 retirees sent in postcards to express their disapproval of the Rudd government after learning of this plot. More than 200 crammed into a local hall to express their rage at what they see as abuse by a government which does not care—a government which is intent on punishing seniors for reasons known only to itself. Then there is the planned change to partner service pensions. Spouses of veterans who separate from their partners are set to lose their entitlement to the pension. Those affected are all women aged over 50. The pension is paid to those who served in conflict. The government claims this will save money, but the reality is that these people, often after a lifetime of supporting their—

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