Following the blog discussion, I have double checked the administrative arrangements for public sector superannuation, and the Federal Minister responsible.
It is definitely Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner.
Please note that while the responsibility for Superannuation is now with Minister Bowen, Comsuper and Defence Super has been moved to the Finance portfolio. This is a specific change that occurred with the recent reshuffle.
I have also advised the Minister’s office of this blog. Minister Tanner is also very supportive of online interactive forums.
In addition, the PM Kevin Rudd has launched his new website, which is far more interactive than before.
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I am a Commonwealth superannuation pensioner. In 1999 I paid 1.4% of my 1998 taxable income for rates. In 2009 rates for the same patch of ACT dirt will be 1.9% of my 2008 taxable income. As you can see, this is one example of the erosion of a superannuant standard of living.
Thank you for this campaign.
Gordon Masters
Dear Senator Lundy,
I am sure that you will have received many emails on the indexation of Commonwealth Superannuation Pensions. As you will be aware it is indexed according to CPI changes which is inferior to the indexation of age pensions and pensions of parliamentarians. The outcome of the Matthews review into this issue has not been made public and I urge you to prevail on the government to do so.
There is one other issue that seems to me to to unfair as far as older Public Servants are concerned. At least up until a couple of years ago, the Commonwealth would not make any contribution towards the superannuation of public servants after the age of 70. Moreover, the inequality is statutorily enacted in the Age Discrimination Act. This seems to be unduly unfair. An older worker should be treated in the same way as his junior colleagues.
Regards Keith Ross
The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP
Minister for Finance & Deregulation
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Mr Tanner
I am a Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS) pensioner on a low income of $23,500 per annum. My standard of living has been constantly eroding because my CSS pension is indexed by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than by a wage based index. I was exceptionally disappointed when you recently announced that the Rudd Government had accepted the Matthews Review to continue indexing retired public servants and defence force personnel pensions using the CPI.
The decision to accept the Labor Party apologist Matthews Review over the three Senate inquiries which acknowledged and recommended a fairer means of indexing Commonwealth superannuation pensions smacks of discrimination and dishonesty by the Rudd Government. Eleven years of a tricky and mean Howard Government was enough and now the Rudd Government has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted on this issue as it is as tricky and mean as the Howard Government was.
Over 300,000 Commonwealth superannuation pensioners have been disappointed Nationally and some 50,000 in Canberra alone, by the Rudd Government’s intransigence in resisting a fairer way of indexing Commonwealth pensions other than the CPI.
I hope that Commonwealth superannuation pensioners Nationally will demonstrate their disapproval and anger towards the Labor Party at the next Federal and State/Territory elections and vote for candidates other than those in the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition.
I am aware of the current financial circumstances however, I believe that the cost of fair indexation of my pension is affordable given the billions of dollars the Government was able to find for its economic stimulus packages. I am not asking for special treatment, only the fairness that Labor promised all Australians prior to the last election.
I was interested to read in the Canberra Times an announcement by the Rudd Government to introduce a new indexation method for seniors because the CPI is inadequate for determining the real cost of living. On one hand the Rudd Government acknowledges that the current CPI indexation method is unfair, and on the other hand fails to rectify the discrimination of Commonwealth superannuation pensioners, and corrals them as unworthy Australians not deserving of a fair go.
The next time I hear any politician making warm and fuzzy statements in Australia or at overseas war zones, I will feel exceptionally nauseated and not take seriously any comments they utter about Australian interests and values. I wish to remind all politicians who fight against a fair and equitable pension scheme for our defence personnel and who at times tragically make the ultimate sacrifice to safe guard our democracy and protect this great and beautiful Nation, that they are doing a great injustice to them. It seems clear that the Australian Government is an ungrateful Government that fights against proper recognition of outstanding service by actively discriminating against its best citizens in denying them a decent level of Commonwealth superannuation income. The hypocrisy and spin by some of our political representatives knows no bounds for they are the worst type of pragmatists with tunnel vision and are incapable of appreciating and rewarding valour when one is a retired military or retired public servant with a fair and just Commonwealth superannuation pension that keeps up with the true cost of living.
Shame on the Australian Labor Party, and the Rudd Labor Government. You are no better than the former Howard Government in your intransigence on the continuing discrimination and unfair treatment of Commonwealth and Defence Forces superannuation pensioners.
Yours sincerely
Stephen A. Medza
31 August 2009
cc. Bob McMullan, MP; Annette Ellis, MP; Senator K. Lundy; Senator G. Humphries.
AND
The reply from Minister Tanner is NOT worth showing, its political spin by a don’t care and insensitive minder..
During the last election campaign the Labor Party created strong expectations that a fairer pension indexing system would be introduced for Commonwealth and Defence Superannuants by them. What happened when we voted them into power? They conducted the Matthews Enquiry, ensuring Mr Matthews had his proper starting instructions, and lo-and-behold Mr Matthews came down against fair indexation. Surprised? Well, don’t be, just Go Green next time round and see if that works. Of course, I inow all of our local MPs and Senators favour fair indexation. So what’s up? Have they no influence in their respective party rooms? I guess not. Why then can we be expected to vote for these apparently lame ducks, no matter how much we might respect them as good people.
Dear Kate Lundy
thanks for the opportunity to comment on the indexation method. My wife and myself are extremely disappointed that the Labor Gvt has seen fit to accept the Matthews report. I was made redundunt from Telstra 13 years ago and since that time my super pension has risen 50%. In that time pensioner increase is 100%. These figures speak for themself. It is not only income but also concessions! It absolutely stuns us when pensioner friends get further Gvt assistance at all levels as well as concessions to just about any event in the community eg art gallery exhibitions. These friends live in a much “grander” home than ours & they run two cars (we have one less expensive car). Where is the equity in this??
It was considered essential to change the indexation method for pensions because CPI no longer represented real cost of living for real older people. How then can the Gvt agree that the CPI is suitable for us? I think this is an absolute insult, and in this regard the Labor Party are no better than the Coalition, in fact they score lower as before the last election expectations were raised by Labor candidates for justice (and of course Labor in opposition agreed with the need for justice for us, following on from two Senate Committees).
We will not go away on this matter.
Thank you again for this interest.