Post by Banjo on Aug 11, 2012 13:40:36 GMT 7
I got a version of this letter of to Kelly Vincent MLC South Australia (Dignity for the Disabled) and Senator Nick Xenaphon (Independent) today.
Dear Senator Xenaphon
I'd like to draw your attention to the changes to the Social Security Act, in particular to the new rules concerning the portability of the Disability Support Pension.
For a number of years now DSP recipients have travelled overseas without problems as long as they kept to the 13 week portability rule.
The Federal Government chose to tighten the residency requirements to restrict pensioners right to travel, when the legislation came in in 01/01/2012 they made it retrospective and a number of people lost their pensions on residency grounds.
On top of this, Wayne Swan decided to reduce the 13 week period to 6 weeks starting 01/01/2013.
A bad year for Disability Support Pensions who like the right to travel that other free Australian citizens enjoy.
I'm involved with a group, DSPoverseas who have campaigned for over three years against these unfair rules. Due to pressure from us on Labor Party ministers and politicians it was decided that an unlimited portability period would be available to pensioners with no future work capacity.
We assumed... more fools us... that this would take into account things like age and length of time out of the work force.
Instead it will only be available to people with a “severe” disability under the new impairment tables.
This will rule out hundreds of people who were travelling regularly under the old rules, were on the DSP and will never work again.
The group I'm involved with has a message board with over 250 members, it also receives up to 300 visitors a day, many from South Australia.
I realise that you have more pressing issues in the field of the disabled than this, but it's just a mean spirited attack on a few people least able to defend themselves.
What harm does it do?
We have better life quality and better lives in other countries on what our pension pays.
I'd be grateful to hear your position on the matter.
It's easy enough to do, just go to any politicians website and use the contact link.
Dear Senator Xenaphon
I'd like to draw your attention to the changes to the Social Security Act, in particular to the new rules concerning the portability of the Disability Support Pension.
For a number of years now DSP recipients have travelled overseas without problems as long as they kept to the 13 week portability rule.
The Federal Government chose to tighten the residency requirements to restrict pensioners right to travel, when the legislation came in in 01/01/2012 they made it retrospective and a number of people lost their pensions on residency grounds.
On top of this, Wayne Swan decided to reduce the 13 week period to 6 weeks starting 01/01/2013.
A bad year for Disability Support Pensions who like the right to travel that other free Australian citizens enjoy.
I'm involved with a group, DSPoverseas who have campaigned for over three years against these unfair rules. Due to pressure from us on Labor Party ministers and politicians it was decided that an unlimited portability period would be available to pensioners with no future work capacity.
We assumed... more fools us... that this would take into account things like age and length of time out of the work force.
Instead it will only be available to people with a “severe” disability under the new impairment tables.
This will rule out hundreds of people who were travelling regularly under the old rules, were on the DSP and will never work again.
The group I'm involved with has a message board with over 250 members, it also receives up to 300 visitors a day, many from South Australia.
I realise that you have more pressing issues in the field of the disabled than this, but it's just a mean spirited attack on a few people least able to defend themselves.
What harm does it do?
We have better life quality and better lives in other countries on what our pension pays.
I'd be grateful to hear your position on the matter.
It's easy enough to do, just go to any politicians website and use the contact link.