Post by Banjo on May 31, 2016 8:49:54 GMT 7
Dear Banjo,
Thank you for your email to Kate regarding the portability of the Disability Support Pension (DSP). I am responding to you on her behalf.
The Turnbull Liberal Government made the decision to reduce the amount of time DSP recipients can leave Australia and still receive their DSP from six weeks to four weeks in a 12-month period. These rules started on 1 January 2015.
Labor was able to secure an important amendment that means that DSP recipients will not have their DSP automatically cancelled if they leave Australia for longer than four weeks. Instead, they may only have it suspended.
Importantly, exemptions to the DSP portability rules will be retained including for example where a person is terminally ill or has a severe impairment and no capacity to work.
Labor believes that Australia has one of the best targeted welfare payment systems in the world. We should remember that we are a decent society that should support people when they are unable to work.
We should remember that the Turnbull Government tried to reduce the living standards of hundreds of thousands of people with disability through their cruel cuts to the indexation of the DSP. It is only because of Labor that the pension was protected.
The Liberals also cut funding for peak disability advocacy organisations and sacked the Disability Discrimination Commissioner – silencing powerful voices for people with disability.
Worst of all, the Turnbull Government continues to undermine the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme by misleading people on its cost and trying to change the scheme.
In regards to the aged pension, the Turnbull Government wants to cut the pension of around 190,000 pensioners by limiting the amount of time they can spend overseas and still get their full pension.
Currently, pensioners can stay overseas for 26 weeks and receive their full pension. Following that time, the pension is reduced to a rate that depends on the number of years they have resided in Australia.
But Malcolm Turnbull wants to change that, with a drastic cut to the time pensioners can spend overseas. His plan means that after just 6 weeks overseas, pensioners who lived in Australia for less than 35 years will have the rate of their pension reduced.
Around 40 percent of Australian pensioners were born overseas. That means Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to the pension will hurt 190,000 migrant pensioners.
Labor understands that pensioners have worked hard all their lives and deserve dignity in their retirement.
The last thing they need is to be treated like a burden by Malcolm Turnbull and his Treasurer Scott Morrison.
We absolutely believe the only way to protect the pension from the Liberals is to vote Labor.
Kind Regards,
Thank you for your email to Kate regarding the portability of the Disability Support Pension (DSP). I am responding to you on her behalf.
The Turnbull Liberal Government made the decision to reduce the amount of time DSP recipients can leave Australia and still receive their DSP from six weeks to four weeks in a 12-month period. These rules started on 1 January 2015.
Labor was able to secure an important amendment that means that DSP recipients will not have their DSP automatically cancelled if they leave Australia for longer than four weeks. Instead, they may only have it suspended.
Importantly, exemptions to the DSP portability rules will be retained including for example where a person is terminally ill or has a severe impairment and no capacity to work.
Labor believes that Australia has one of the best targeted welfare payment systems in the world. We should remember that we are a decent society that should support people when they are unable to work.
We should remember that the Turnbull Government tried to reduce the living standards of hundreds of thousands of people with disability through their cruel cuts to the indexation of the DSP. It is only because of Labor that the pension was protected.
The Liberals also cut funding for peak disability advocacy organisations and sacked the Disability Discrimination Commissioner – silencing powerful voices for people with disability.
Worst of all, the Turnbull Government continues to undermine the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme by misleading people on its cost and trying to change the scheme.
In regards to the aged pension, the Turnbull Government wants to cut the pension of around 190,000 pensioners by limiting the amount of time they can spend overseas and still get their full pension.
Currently, pensioners can stay overseas for 26 weeks and receive their full pension. Following that time, the pension is reduced to a rate that depends on the number of years they have resided in Australia.
But Malcolm Turnbull wants to change that, with a drastic cut to the time pensioners can spend overseas. His plan means that after just 6 weeks overseas, pensioners who lived in Australia for less than 35 years will have the rate of their pension reduced.
Around 40 percent of Australian pensioners were born overseas. That means Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to the pension will hurt 190,000 migrant pensioners.
Labor understands that pensioners have worked hard all their lives and deserve dignity in their retirement.
The last thing they need is to be treated like a burden by Malcolm Turnbull and his Treasurer Scott Morrison.
We absolutely believe the only way to protect the pension from the Liberals is to vote Labor.
Kind Regards,
