MP Justine Elliot has slammed Nationals MP Geoff Provest and Premier Barry O’Farrell’s decision to take part of the Federal Government’s recent pension increase off local pensioners living in public housing.
Premier O’Farrell has announced that, from March next year, the State Liberals will use Labor’s pension boost to increase public housing rents, taking money straight out of the pockets of public housing tenants.
“This is a cruel and cynical cash grab from a typical Liberal Premier who cares more about his own hip pocket than looking out for local pensioners,” said Justine.
“The Federal Labor Government is delivering a boost for pensioners to help them make ends meet, but Barry O’Farrell just wants take a slice of it for himself.
“It’s greedy, it’s grubby and it’s wrong.”
All pensioners living in Richmond have received a lump sum payment from the Federal Government over the past few weeks of $250 for singles and $380 for couples. Pensioners will also get a permanent boost to their regular payments in March next year.
In total, single pensioners are receiving an extra $338 a year and couples are receiving an extra $510 a year, combined.
However, State Member for Tweed Geoff Provest has rejected claims by Justine Elliot that the State Government is “denying carbon tax compensation to public housing tenants”.
“Residents of public housing pay around 25 per cent of their income on their rent and that is not going to change,” Mr Provest said.
“In fact, because we know residents are going to do it tough under the Gillard/Elliot carbon tax, recent lump sum carbon tax compo payments have not been counted as income for rent purposes.
“None of this would be an issue if the Labor Party had kept its word and not brought in a carbon tax in the first place.
“Ms Elliot should be apologising to Tweed small businesses which get zero compensation for Labor’s toxic tax and will soon be shedding jobs,” Mr Provest concluded.
Ms Elliot argued that Barry O’Farrell’s decision means a maximum rate single pensioner will now pay an extra $84.50 a year in rent.
She said the Federal Labor Government was delivering the increase as a separate pension supplement so it wouldn’t be included when the state government calculated public housing rents, which has been the accepted practice for many years.
“In 2009, we delivered the biggest ever increase to the pension. But as soon as Barry O’Farrell became Premier, he took a cut for himself and pensioners had less money for living expenses.
Ms Elliot said local pensioners would be furious with the State Government’s decision.
“This decision will really hurt them.
“They are sick and tired of seeing Geoff Provest’s hand in their pocket every time Federal Labor gives them extra money. This extra money is for local pensioners. It’s not for Geoff Provest.”
