Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to continue on a theme that I raised earlier today. In doing so I will put on the record once again that Shortland electorate is one of the oldest electorates in this country. We have many senior Australians and the proportion of residents in the Shortland electorate over the age of 65 is 26 per cent, which is well above the national average. I acknowledge the fantastic work that all the seniors that I represent in this parliament do throughout the community, and for that matter all the seniors throughout Australia. Quite often senior Australians are stereotyped as not having anything that they can contribute to our society, as being a burden, as being a drain on our economy, as being people who are not worthy of the support of us in this place.

Over the last month many seniors have contacted my office and shared their thoughts with me on this very topic. Prior to the budget my office was inundated with people ringing and saying how worried they were about the reports they had been reading in the papers, how worried they were that they were going to end up a lot worse off than they were at the moment and how basically they are living week to week and that they feel they have made enormous contributions to our country. They are not asking for much. They are just asking that they are able to maintain the standard of living they have now. They are asking that the government recognises that they have made their contribution. They have worked hard. They have paid their taxes. Now, all they ask is to be able to see a doctor when they are sick and be able to afford to see the doctor, to be able to purchase any medication that they need and be able to afford to purchase that medication. And they are asking for a little bit of recognition of the fact that they still contribute enormously to our society and community.

Within Shortland electorate, seniors and pensioners are the backbone of our volunteer network. Every organisation is run, to a large extent, by volunteers that are 65-plus. That is probably a little bit higher than the average, but, then, at the outset I said Shortland electorate is a very old electorate. I was contacted this afternoon by a volunteer, Vicky. Between them, she and her husband, Stewart, do 60 hours a week volunteering at the marine rescue at Tuggerah Lakes. She pointed out to me that the economic contribution of seniors to our electorate is enormous.

I had a quick search on the net and looked at a University of Adelaide study which pointed out that volunteering had been a strong tradition within Australia, and I think most members of parliament recognise the contribution that volunteers make to our communities. But I am sure that when they do that they find out that most of those people are over 65 years of age. The study pointed out that the true extent of the monetary value of volunteering in Australia is in excess of $200 billion a year and that some 6.4 million people volunteer their time in Australia. That was 2012 figures, and it is double the number that volunteered back in 1995. I think this House must acknowledge that senior Australians—that pensioners—still continue to contribute to our country and to our economy, saving us over $200 billion a year. All they ask in return for that is the knowledge that their pension is sustainable, that they will be able to visit a doctor and that their standard of living is maintained. They want to know that if they are sick they get access to health care. They do not want to have to pay a co-payment. They want to know that they have got secure housing. Unfortunately, this budget went to the very core of their security.

John, a constituent I represent, asked me to ask the Treasurer how his family would cope. I will not do that, but I will put on the record what he had to say. He is a 69-year-old retiree, and his wife will turn 60 this year. They were blessed with a child in their later years, and this child will soon be six years old. He has calculated their family income as $14,400 allocated pension and $16,518 part pension. That is including the pension supplement. This is a guy that was a tradesman who has worked all his life and has made enormous contributions to our country. He gets family tax benefit part A of $4,615 and he gets $2,657 family tax benefit part B. His total income is $38,191, and, yes, he volunteers. He also provides child care for his grandchildren whilst his older children go to work. So he is really helping the economy move along. He goes on to say that he owns his own home and he is very fortunate, but he needs to manage his finances with care and that his concerns have been heightened because of the budget, whilst acknowledging that there are many people worse off in society than he and his wife. This is the thing that always hits me: people contact me, point out their circumstances and say, 'It's really hard for me but there are people who are worse off than me.' He says that he would like to know how the Treasurer expects them to cope when their income will be reduced by the loss of the family tax payment and other associated benefits. He says that his income will be reduced to $34,302. This is a man who is very frugal, does not go out, does not smoke and does not go drinking at the club. This is a man who looks after his son, provides support to his grandchildren and volunteers in the community. He feels that he is going to be hit really hard by this budget and he does not know how he is going to cope. This is a real person who has to struggle with these financial issues each and every day.

Here is a real-life example. I have had a pensioner ring me saying that she does not know how she is going to go on and feels she will have to kill herself because she will not cope. It really, really worries me. My staff have been talking with pensioners and seniors over the last month trying to reassure them and trying to make them feel better about the situation. My message to the government and my message to the Treasurer and the Prime Minister is: this budget is really hurting. It has created enormous pressure for pensioners and seniors in our community. They have made enormous contributions to Australia in the past and all they ask for now is financial security.