Don’t Play Political Football with Older Australians

If you are over 50 and in Queensland, it’s been a tough week.

For 48 anxious hours, it seemed you were going to cop another financial hit after this week’s State Budget – and we weren’t even going to know the extent of it until at least October1.

Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls had made it fuzzy knowing this is Campbell Newman’s last budget before the next state election.

There would be a slash to funding to a range of concessions, he said, but the scope of the cuts was not only not in the fine print … it was nowhere to be found.

Thanks goodness that the backlash from groups and members such as ours was enough to make Campbell Newman backflip earlier today.

Nonetheless, the Queensland Budget has set the template for a refrain, which will become quite familiar no matter which state you live in.

“Let’s blame it on the Commonwealth.”

After all it was Canberra who announced a $50 million federal funding cutback across seven state-based concessions; electricity, council rates, water, gas, vehicle registration, bus and rail transport.

I think you’ve got the picture. Several more states go to the polls before the Abbott government goes to the people, so let’s play political football. Another reason why we FiftyUps need to continue to build our numbers because we should not and will not be kicked around.

Here’s how it went for Queenslanders … but don’t tune out if you’re in another state … because you’ll hear the same at your next state election.

The reductions are due to the Federal Governments’ decision to terminate the National Partnership Agreement on Certain Concessions for Pensioner and Seniors Card Holders.

The Queensland Treasurer says that will cost $54 million in the coming financial year and that represents 15% of the total funding for pensioners and seniors concessions.

Let’s take a quick look at the concessions.

The Electricity rebate Scheme, the Pensioner Rate Subsidy Scheme, South-East Queensland Pensioner Water Subsidy Scheme, Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate Scheme, Vehicle Registration concessions, Translink Transport Concessions (SE Queensland) and the Rail Concession Scheme.

You’ve all heard of political spin … here it was in its finest courtesy of the Queensland Treasurer: “We’re targeting October 1 for those changes to be flowing through to those concessions in terms of particular rates, electricity and gas and water. The concessions will be quite substantial, they just won’t be as high as they would otherwise have been, had that $50 million not been taken out.”

Political football? You bet.They won the toss and elected to kick with the wind in the first half. But they’re behind at halftime.

What a relief. For now. But watch this space as the game has only just begun.

What are you thoughts on Campbell Newman’s backflip? Can you afford further cuts to pensioner concessions?  CLICK HERE to have your say on the FiftyUp Club Forum