Coalition To Provide Fairness To Holt Veterans

Online, July 31, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Ricardo Balancy, Candidate for Holt said hundreds of veterans on military superannuation pensions in Holt will receive a fairer deal under the Coalition's policy to provide fair indexation of pensions.

"The Coalition will ensure military superannuation pensions are indexed in the same way as age pensions", said Ricardo Balancy.

"Local veterans and their families have waited too long for fairness.

"Under current legislation, the government increases military superannuation pensions by the consumer price index. By contrast, age pensions are indexed according to a formula based around growth in the consumer price index, male total average weekly earnings and the pensioner and beneficiary living cost index.

"If it's inadequate to lift Centrelink pensions by just the consumer price index, then it's even less fair to apply only that index to those who have risked their lives for our country.
"Kevin Rudd promised fairness for Defence Forces Retirement Benefits (DFRB) and the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) military superannuation pensions in 2007. Then after the election, he broke his word.

"Once again, we saw fake change from Kevin Rudd and Labor. Kevin Rudd and Labor fooled veterans once in 2007 with their promise and now they are trying to fool veterans again with another promise on fair indexation. Local veterans and their families won't be fooled twice by Kevin Rudd and his fake promises.

"Labor's had six years to do this, but they didn't. In fact, they opposed it every single day."

Ricardo Balancy said veterans groups and RSLs throughout Holt know that the Coalition has been committed to providing indexation fairness since before the last election.

"This was our promise in 2010 and Tony Abbott and the Coalition put this to Parliament after the 2010 election - but Labor and the Greens voted it down.

"I have also signed a written pledge to provide fair indexation for veterans.

"Tony Abbott and I will honour our pledge. We will keep our word. Australia's veterans who have risked life and limb deserve better than a government that says one thing before an election and another thing after.

Ricardo Balancy said as far as he is concerned, Australia should protect and watch over veterans and their families; in the same way that our veterans have protected and watched over our county.