Morrison Government's pension cuts headed for Senate

The Morrison Government rammed its cuts to the pension through the House of Representatives last night.

The Morrison Government plans to cut the pension by scrapping the pension supplement for people who spend more than six weeks overseas, as well as increasing the residential requirement from 10 to 15 years.

These plans to cut the pension will disproportionately impact on hard working migrant pensioners who visit or care for relatives overseas while they are able.

This is a cut to migrant pensioners who have worked hard all their lives, paid their taxes and done the right thing.

The Prime Minister is moving the goal posts on pensioners.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been behind every single one of the Liberal’s cuts to the pension.

As the Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison tried to cut pension indexation – a cut that would have meant pensioners would be forced to live on $80 a week less within ten years.

He cut $1 billion from pensioner concessions – support designed to help pensioners with the cost of living.

He axed the $900 seniors supplement to self-funded retirees receiving the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

He tried to reset deeming rates thresholds – a cut that would have seen 500,000 part-pensioners made worse off.

In 2015, Scott Morrison did a deal with the Greens to cut the pension to around 370,000 pensioners by as much as $12,000 a year by changing the pension assets test.

As Treasurer, Scott Morrison tried to cut the pension to around 190,000 pensioners as part of a plan to limit overseas travel for pensioners to six weeks.

He also tried to cut the pension for over 1.5 million Australians, by scrapping the energy supplement for new pensioners.

Scott Morrison also spent five years trying toincrease the pension age to 70.

The age pension deeming rate remains high while interest rates are at record lows.

And he continues to gouge pensioners by charging high interest rates through the pension loan scheme.

Labor will continue to oppose these cuts to the pension when the Bill reaches the Senate.

LINDA BURNEY

MEDIA RELEASE - TUESDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2019

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