Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to raise a very important issue that concerns a substantial majority of my electorate. In particular it concerns the veterans of the Ryan electorate. This is an issue that, quite frankly, neither political party has taken to heart. It is an indictment of both parties. I regret to say that, during the time of the Howard government, we did not give this front and centre attention. But the now Labor federal government, led by Prime Minister Rudd, has been especially dismissive and should be especially sanctioned because, during the 2007 election campaign, the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rudd, told the veterans of Australia and of the Ryan electorate that, if he were elected, he would make it a priority to ensure that there was equity, fairness and justice in relation to military superannuation and the pensions of veterans.

I want to read into the Hansard the words of a very distinguished Ryan constituent, a former brigadier of the Australian Army, who is widely respected in Ryan for his service to our nation wearing the uniform and for his continued commitment to equity, fairness and justice, not just for himself but for many veterans who do not have the voice, the eloquence and the status that he has as a former brigadier. I refer to his letter to me because it reflects the scores of emails to me from veterans and their families who see this as an issue of equity, fairness and justice. This is what Brigadier Brian Wade AM—and I should say very clearly for the record that he has been awarded an AM by this country—of Taringa said to me, writing on 31 October:

Dear Michael,

I am writing to express my extreme displeasure in relation to the Government’s decision to adopt the recently released Matthews Report into the indexation of Military and other Commonwealth Superannuation.

This is a matter which is of considerable importance to all of the current and retired Military community and the purpose of this letter is to ask you to take some action.

The effect of the implementation of this report is that Military Superannuation Pensions will remain indexed to the CPI, whereas Welfare and Age Pensions are indexed at a higher rate, namely the greater of CPI or Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Costs Index (PBLIb) or Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE), and pre-2004 MP’s and High Court Judges Pensions are wage based indexed to the salaries of serving backbench MPs.

I have seen credible statistics and graphs which show that, in the period 1989 to 2008, Military Superannuation Pensions rose by 68%, while Age Pensions rose by 110% and those of retired MP’s rose by 131 per cent!

Put another way, a person who had served our country in uniform and retired in 1989 on a Superannuation pension of $30,000 would, in 2008 be receiving $50,400. Compare that to $63,000 for a welfare recipient and $69,300 for a politician! Hardly fair by any measure.

I do not know if those figures are 100 per cent accurate. I will not challenge them for their absolute accuracy, but, even if they are only partially accurate, I cannot stand by, as the member for Ryan, as the son and grandson of veterans from different theatres, at different times, who wore the uniform for their different countries, and say that we are satisfied with the current position. We must do something.

For the record, I want to make it very clear that I intend to continue to raise this issue of fairness, equity and justice in my party and in the parliament, because this is the right thing to do. If it requires substantial allocation of funds and the withdrawal of funds from elsewhere, then I am prepared to work with anybody in government or in the bureaucracy to find those billions of dollars, because there is great waste in this government. There is great waste in budgets. There is an opportunity for us to find money for a more equitable, more just and more fair cause. The country must honour those who have worn the uniform in our name and served under our flag. We must honour them. (Time expired)