Post by Banjo on Jun 2, 2014 13:15:09 GMT 7
Abbott denies breaking promise to veterans
Labor has accused the Abbott government of breaking a pledge to veterans to increase their pensions at a higher rate.
Opposition members repeatedly questioned Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday about his election promise to index veterans' superannuation payments at the highest cost-of-living measure.
But the May budget papers showed that from 2017/18 the government plans to index all Centrelink pensions, including service pensions paid to more than 140,000 ex-service personnel, in line with the consumer price index only.
CPI is generally lower than other indexation rates, creating savings of $65 million from veteran's pensions, the budget papers say.
Mr Abbott said the government had honoured its specific commitment, which was to raise the rate of indexation of payments made to former defence personnel through two old defence superannuation schemes.
"No military pensioner will receive an inferior rate of indexation to a civilian one," he told parliament.
Read more at news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/06/02/15/14/abbott-denies-breaking-promise-to-veterans#b1IOFiFs1hXGLud5.99
Labor has accused the Abbott government of breaking a pledge to veterans to increase their pensions at a higher rate.
Opposition members repeatedly questioned Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday about his election promise to index veterans' superannuation payments at the highest cost-of-living measure.
But the May budget papers showed that from 2017/18 the government plans to index all Centrelink pensions, including service pensions paid to more than 140,000 ex-service personnel, in line with the consumer price index only.
CPI is generally lower than other indexation rates, creating savings of $65 million from veteran's pensions, the budget papers say.
Mr Abbott said the government had honoured its specific commitment, which was to raise the rate of indexation of payments made to former defence personnel through two old defence superannuation schemes.
"No military pensioner will receive an inferior rate of indexation to a civilian one," he told parliament.
Read more at news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/06/02/15/14/abbott-denies-breaking-promise-to-veterans#b1IOFiFs1hXGLud5.99