Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to present a petition to this House in support of older Australians. This petition, which I have with me this morning, has been signed by 7,090 older Australians. It is in support of those older Australians that I bring this petition to the House. The petition was brought about by the principal petitioner, Janice Elizabeth Holmes, who is the President of the Coolangatta Senior Citizens Centre in my electorate on the Gold Coast. The senior citizens group has hundreds of members and they were very concerned last year at the plight of senior Australians in this country. They are calling on the government to ensure, in the light of the released Harmer report, that senior Australians maintain a reasonable standard of living through the pension system. We hope that in this year’s budget senior Australians on pensions will see some increase in that pension.

I would like to make special mention of a number of colleagues who have also had this petition running in their own electorates throughout Australia—the Hon. Bruce Scott, from the electorate of Maranoa; Steve Irons, from the electorate of Swan in Western Australia; Senator Judith Adams from Western Australia; Nola Marino from Western Australia; David Hawker; Senator Stephen Parry; Senator Simon Birmingham; and the Hon. Greg Hunt. I think every one of my colleagues found in their own electorates and indeed in their states that there was a lot of support for senior Australians right throughout this country.

I think everybody in this House knows just how tough it is out there at the moment. We do know we have a global financial crisis and we do know that senior Australians are having a difficult time. There is the rising cost of groceries and petrol—they are doing it tough. All of us in this House would want to ensure that senior Australians have the means by which they can take care of themselves, keep their wellbeing and their health in check and maintain a reasonably modest standard of living. These people are not asking for a lot, but they are certainly asking for a helping hand at the moment. I hope the Harmer report, which I know has been handed to the minister, will see some support through the budget process in May this year. I commend all those who have supported the petition—my colleagues and those senior Australians throughout Australia. I present that petition to the House today.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This petition of older Australians draws to the attention of the House:

• the Rudd Government has overlooked senior Australians in the Budget
• pensioners are not able to maintain a reasonable standard of living because of the rising cost of living
• hundreds of thousands of pensioners are struggling to make ends meet which is impacting on their health and wellbeing.

We therefore ask the House to:

• ensure that seniors have a reasonable standard of living
• recognise that they are struggling to make ends meet with the recent cost of groceries and petrol
• acknowledge and address their situation immediately.

from 7,090 citizens

Petition received.