Would you steal from your Grandmother ??????????

2 July 2009    Would you steal from your Grandmother ??????????

You do not have to be a mathematical genius to see that the current payments to Age Pensioners are being paid at a lesser amount than they should be.
 
The Age pension is legislated to rise by the CPI twice a year in March and September.
 
Because it is adjusted twice a year you take 50% of the last CPI figure issued by the Govt .
 
The CPI figure issued for the Qtr ending Dec 08 was 3.7% and is the figure that the adjustment on the 20th March 09 would have been based on .
 
Alarm bells should have rung loudly when the increase was announced insomuch that it was the lowest increase in approx 4 yrs yet the CPI was the highest for the same period .
 
So you take half of 3.7% which is 1.85% and apply it to the pension payments applicable at 30th Dec 08 which were single $562.10 per fortnight and couples $939.00 PF .
 
Therefore the increase on the 20th March 09 should have been singles $10.40 per fortnight and couples $17.37 PF.
 
The increases that were paid were Singles $7.70 per fortnight and couples $12,80 PF .
 
THUS the payments were UNDERPAID by singles $2.70 per fortnight and couples $4.57 PF .
The utilities allowance which is also designated to increase by the CPI twice a year was also under paid by $1.18 per Qtr .
 
These are small amounts however when you consider that there is in excess of 2 million age pensioners, the savings to the government are considerable .
 
I have sent numerous emails  to Minister Macklin with these figures plus the Combined Pensioners and Superanuants ASSN ,Council of the Aging ,National Seniors,Centrelink ,Politicans from both sides and it amazes me that no one is following it up .
 
This is tantamount to stealing pennies from your grandmother .
 
I question are my figures wrong or is it that the Government has made a mistake but is not honest enough to own up to it ?
 
This is money that the pensioners  are entitled to .
 
submitted by:
Rod Fountain
ERINA  NSW