Post by Banker on Dec 8, 2010 8:59:29 GMT 7
Prime Minister
Transcript of interview with Leon Byner
HOST: Let's talk to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Julia, Merry Christmas.
PM: To you, too, Leon.
HOST: The reason I wanted to chat with you today is I have a concern that our government in South Australia has done something which I think the pensioners feel most aggrieved about - and they should - and that is that when Kevin Rudd gave the $30 to the pensioners there was an understanding by all states, including South Australia, that that money would be quarantined, but unfortunately in the last state budget this government have decided not to do that and include it in income assessment and this will mean that our pensioners are going to be markedly worse off than other pensioners around Australia, and I'm wondering what you think about that?
PM: Leon, I can say to you that I am not at all happy with this decision by the South Australian Government and believe that they should reconsider it.
When the Federal Government gave this historically large increase for pensioners, we actually went to state governments, including the South Australian Government, and said we want this to be for pensioners. We want them to get the benefit of it and so we don't want public housing rents moving because the pension's gone up, and looking around the country, we did get assurances from state governments that they would not put rents up to eat into this pension increase.
We got that assurance from South Australia, from the Minister for Housing, in October 2009, just following the pension increase, and now, of course, we and pensioners who are in public housing are confronted with the news that the South Australian Government has changed its mind and is seeking to put rents up and eat into this pension increase, so I'm definitely saying to the Government of South Australia this is the wrong decision and they should immediately reconsider it.
HOST: If I was Jennifer Rankin now, what would you be saying to me?
PM: Leon, if you were Jennifer Rankin, I would be saying precisely this - that in October 2009 she gave her word that pensioners would benefit from this increase and she should hold to that position, what she put in a letter to the Federal Government in October 2009.
More here:
www.pm.gov.au/node/7056
Transcript of interview with Leon Byner
HOST: Let's talk to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Julia, Merry Christmas.
PM: To you, too, Leon.
HOST: The reason I wanted to chat with you today is I have a concern that our government in South Australia has done something which I think the pensioners feel most aggrieved about - and they should - and that is that when Kevin Rudd gave the $30 to the pensioners there was an understanding by all states, including South Australia, that that money would be quarantined, but unfortunately in the last state budget this government have decided not to do that and include it in income assessment and this will mean that our pensioners are going to be markedly worse off than other pensioners around Australia, and I'm wondering what you think about that?
PM: Leon, I can say to you that I am not at all happy with this decision by the South Australian Government and believe that they should reconsider it.
When the Federal Government gave this historically large increase for pensioners, we actually went to state governments, including the South Australian Government, and said we want this to be for pensioners. We want them to get the benefit of it and so we don't want public housing rents moving because the pension's gone up, and looking around the country, we did get assurances from state governments that they would not put rents up to eat into this pension increase.
We got that assurance from South Australia, from the Minister for Housing, in October 2009, just following the pension increase, and now, of course, we and pensioners who are in public housing are confronted with the news that the South Australian Government has changed its mind and is seeking to put rents up and eat into this pension increase, so I'm definitely saying to the Government of South Australia this is the wrong decision and they should immediately reconsider it.
HOST: If I was Jennifer Rankin now, what would you be saying to me?
PM: Leon, if you were Jennifer Rankin, I would be saying precisely this - that in October 2009 she gave her word that pensioners would benefit from this increase and she should hold to that position, what she put in a letter to the Federal Government in October 2009.
More here:
www.pm.gov.au/node/7056
