Page 912 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Superannuants
MR MOORE: Madam Speaker, my question is also to the Chief Minister and concerns Senior Citizens Week. The Chief Minister would recognise, I am sure, the inequitable situation where a certain category of senior citizens on superannuation benefits are in fact worse off than those people who are on the pension. Chief Minister, what are you doing to rectify this problem?
Mr Berry: On a point of order: Madam Speaker, I think that is probably a Federal Minister's area of jurisdiction and hardly something the Chief Minister can deal with.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for bringing that to my attention. The question should relate to matters about which the Chief Minister has responsibility. Mr Moore, do you want to refine your question? It does seem, on the surface, to relate to income maintenance matters, which are Federal matters, not local.
MR MOORE: Indeed, Madam Speaker; but the Chief Minister does have responsibility in this area. Her response might deal with how she has approached Federal Ministers or how she is working on that. I asked what she is doing to rectify a situation about certain citizens in the ACT, and I think that is a perfectly reasonable way to ask the question. I wonder whether the Chief Minister is prepared to provide an answer to that; otherwise I can always ask another question of one of the other Ministers.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I reiterate what you have said, and that is that I am not responsible for income maintenance matters. That is a Federal Government responsibility, and I am sure that Mr Moore is well aware of that. Mr Moore has made the assertion that there are superannuants who are worse off than pensioners. I presume that he means age pensioners. I do not think that assertion ought to be taken at face value. There may well be some superannuants or others on fixed incomes who may be better off under the age pension, but I think as a general statement it probably does not hold water.
The approach the ACT Government has taken has been, first of all, to review our concessions regime, which we did in last year's budget. That review was aimed at increasing concessions to those people in the community who are in greatest need, whatever their source of income. Many people did gain from that review. In particular, the concession on electricity for winter heating was extended to a larger number of low income people and for a longer period over the winter months.
There are also a range of other concessions the Territory offers. They are mostly aimed at pensioners, of course, and include things such as the rates rebate, motor vehicle registration rebates and so on. One of the less well-known and less well-utilised concessions that are available in the Territory relates to the capacity to defer rates. I believe that this scheme would have great attraction for many low income people, particularly people on fixed superannuation income, for instance. They are able to defer their rates, and they are also able to defer them, if they are entitled to a concessional rate, at the concessional rate. I think that is a significant advantage to people on low incomes.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .