Vietnam Veterans Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Association NSW Branch

Vietnam Veterans Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Association NSW Branch

VIETNAM VETERANS’ FEDERATION

8 Mary Street Granville PO Box 170 GRANVILLE NSW 2142,

Phone (02) 9682 1788Fax (02) 9682 6134

Incorporating

Vietnam Veterans Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Association NSW Branch

Vietnam Veterans Federation Queensland Branch

Vietnam Veterans Federation ACT Branch

Vietnam Veterans Federation Victorian Branch

Vietnam Veterans Federation South Australian Branch

Vietnam Peacekeepers Peacemakers Federation of Tasmania

Vietnam Veterans, Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Federation of Australia WA Branch

Senator the Hon Michael Ronaldson
Minister for Veterans Affairs
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
16 June 2014

Dear Minister,

We are grateful for the fair indexation of military superannuation pensions for over 55s and for you replacing the one million dollars cut from BEST funding.

We have made our gratitude known both publicly and within our organisationand will continue to do so.

We are, however, unhappy with your government’s attack on the benefits of other veterans and war widows.

We are specially unhappy with your government’s imposition of unfair indexation on Service pensions, TPI pensions, other veteran disability pensions, War Widows pensions, the Income Support Supplement and equivalent MRCA payments.

To say that all is well because the pensions will continue to rise is disingenuous.

Over time, because of this change, veteran pensioners, most with war service, and their widows, will fall further and further behind community income standards, just as military superannuants were doing.

We shall be campaigning against this imposition.

We shall also be campaigning against the following government impositions.

  • The government withdrawing its share of an agreement with the States to fund Service pensioners’ concessions for travel, electricity, phone and council rates.
  • Axing the three month backdating of Veterans Disability Pension claims; a long standing benefit acknowledging the unique nature of military service and delays in collecting medical evidence.
  • The axing of the Seniors Supplement ($876.20 a year) for Gold Card holders not receiving income support.
  • The cancellation of indexation on the Energy Supplement added to Veterans Affairs pensions and payments causing it to quickly lose real value.
  • Military Superannuation not previously counted, now to be counted as income when applying for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
  • The closing of some regional DVA offices and sending clients to Centrelink offices.
  • The government’s intention to axe an education bonus of $211 a year paid to the children of a dead or badly injured parent with overseas military service.

We also find it difficult to understand how your government could morally impose what it forcefully identified as unfair indexation on military superannuation before the election, onto the Veterans Affairs pensions of some 280,000 veterans and war widows after the election.

Yours sincerely,

Tim McCombe

National President

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