“There is one group in society really doing it very hard at the moment. They are doing it hard because the cost of fuel is going through the roof, the cost of groceries is going through the roof and rent is going thought the roof. However, their income, because they are pensioners, is static and their outlook, because of the budget, is grim.

“Pensioners are the forgotten Australians because of Mr Rudd and Mr Swan’s budget. At any genuine open forum it is the pensioners who turn up and politely say little until you open the floor for discussion. The news they deliver to that forum is they can hardly afford to get by.

“Here is a quick example of why what they are saying is right – a single pensioner receives $273.40 per week and a couple receives $228.40 per person per week. Let’s have an honest appraisal of a very basic budget for a pensioner if you really scrimp and save: $75 per week for groceries; $20 per week for phone and internet; $13 per week for power and gas; $25 per week for petrol. If you also had to rent a place for $100 per week, after rental assistance, not unreasonable to expect in a capital city, you are out of money and the pensioner then generally sacrifices on groceries.

“What Mr Swan and Mr Rudd have delivered Australia’s pensioners is a one off payment of $500 at the end of the year, which really means they are not taking into account the dynamics of what is happening in the economy this year.

“Australians do not want to see their parents and grandparents pushing shopping trolleys down the street because they cannot afford the fuel to get them to and from the supermarket. Australians do not want to see their parent’s or grandparent’s fridge empty. Australians do not want to see their parents or grandparents unable to pay the phone bill. Australians do want their parents and grandparents to be able to afford the minor repairs to their car to keep them on the road because, without mobility, you do not have independence.

“What is Mr Swan waiting for - Australia’s elderly citizens to be pushed from the margins to destitution? Is this what the economic boom will deliver to pensioners? Is this the reality of the Kevin ’07 t-shirt, wonderful and fresh for Kevin ’07 but financial destitution for those aged 70?

“The reality is the pension does not make ends meet and increasing it in line with CPI is completely insufficient to meet current basic living costs. The budgetary minor trimmings show that Mr Rudd and Mr Swan either don’t care, don’t understand or don’t know the pressure in their own electorates of those who no longer have the capacity to work, by reason of age, but have to deal with the increased costs of fuel, groceries, phone services, electricity, health, rent and the essentials of even a humble life.



Ends