VETERANS TO RECEIVE A ONE-OFF BONUS
Veterans to receive one-off bonus
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP welcomed the one-off bonus payment to veterans as well as other pensioners as part of the government’s response to the global economic crisis. Veterans in my electorate of Berowra will receive the payment.
This group includes veterans on service pensions, income support supplement recipients, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders and Gold Card holders including war widows over service pension age who receive the Seniors Concession Allowance or Utilities allowance. In fact, all pensioners in receipt of an income support payment will receive the bonus.
“The Coalition have been calling on the government to give pensioners a $30 per week rise and the bonus brings some comfort to pensioners who have been doing it tough for a long time” Philip Ruddock said.
When the Coalition was in government they paid off Labor’s $90 billion debt, got the economy back in the black, and left a surplus of $22 billion dollars. The Coalition’s strong economic management was the legacy the government inherited last year, after the November election.
“The bonus payments have been drawn down from that surplus and it is a shame that the bonus was paid to pensioners not out of any compassionate acknowledgement of their situation but as an economic response to the current global crisis” sMr Ruddock said.
“Meanwhile there are no guarantees that pensioners will get a rise in the base rate of pensions in the next budget. Malcolm Turnbull questioned the Prime Minister about guaranteeing a rise in the base rate of pensions but the Prime Minister refused to guarantee that” Mr Ruddock said.
“The Coalition has been very resolute in standing up for veterans and other pensioners and will continue to do so.
“Together with my colleagues I will work hard to pressure the government to lock in long term assistance for pensioners and veterans,” Philip Ruddock said.