Labor Will Help To Make Ends Meet

A Rudd Labor Government will offer increased financial support to older Australians, people with disabilities and carers to help make ends meet.

Federal Labor’s plan - Making Ends Meet - will help around three million eligible Australians, including pensioners and self-funded retirees.

Eligible Australians will benefit from four key elements of Making Ends Meet. They are:

• Increased Utilities Allowance paid quarterly, rather than biannually; making the increased Utilities Allowance as regular as utility bills;
• $50 million to establish A National Reciprocal Public Transport Entitlement to ensure State Government Senior’s Card holders can travel at concessional rates anywhere in Australia;
• Increased Telephone Allowance by 50 per cent – from $88 to $132 a year - to help with the cost of an internet connection at home; and
• Establish a Seniors’ Internet Fund to provide grants of up to $10,000 for 2000 eligible community organisations to set up free internet connections for their members.

Making Ends Meet will offer increased and more timely financial support to around three million Australians including eligible pensioners and self-funded retirees.

Spiralling petrol, food and grocery prices and housing costs means older Australians, people with disabilities and carers are in real need of increased financial support.

Making Ends Meet will incorporate and improve upon the additional Utilities and Seniors Concessions Allowances included by the Government in the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

1. More regular and more generous allowance payments
A Rudd Labor Government will implement the Government’s decision included in the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook to pay additional Utilities and Seniors Concessions Allowance each year.

Federal Labor will provide:

• A quarterly Utilities Allowance of $125 to older Australians in receipt of income support payments such as the Age Pension and Veterans Service Pension. This equals a total annual payment of $500 for singles and $500 for a couple;
• A similar payment for people receiving Carer Payment or the Disability Support Pension. This equals a total annual payment of $500 for singles and $500 for a couple; and
• A quarterly Seniors Concession Allowance of $125 per person to eligible self‑funded retirees. This equals a total annual payment of $500 for each eligible individual.

Federal Labor understands that for people on fixed incomes need to plan ahead for large expenses. That is why from 20 March 2008, Federal Labor will pay the Utilities Allowance four times a year rather than twice.

This measure will benefit over 1.7 million aged income support recipients; 250,000 Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders, 700,000 Disability Support Pensioners and 120,000 Carer Payment recipients.

Households who receive the following payments will be eligible for the enhanced Utilities Allowance:

• People in receipt of Disability Support Pension
• People in receipt of Carer Payment
• People of Age or Veteran pension age and in receipt of the following payments:

• Age pension
• Veterans service pension
• Income support supplement
• War widow pension
• Mature age allowance
• Partner allowance
• Widow allowance
• Disability support pension
• Carer payment

Federal Labor also recognises that the cost of living for pensioners can rise faster than the general increases in costs of goods and services.

For this reason, a Rudd Labor Government will index pensions by the Living Cost Index for Aged Pensioner Households published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Consumer Price Index or 25 per cent of Male Total Average Weekly Earnings, whichever is the greater.

2. National Reciprocal Transport Concessions
Federal Labor will end the buck-passing between the States and the Commonwealth.

Before the 2001 federal election, Mr Howard pledged a national transport concession scheme for seniors - but he did not deliver on his promise. Federal Labor will deliver on this commitment.

A Rudd Labor Government will provide $50 million over four years from 2008‑09 towards a new national reciprocal transport entitlement for State Government Seniors Card holders.

This will mean around 3 million Australians including State Government Seniors Card holders will be able to access general public transport concessions that apply in the State or Territory they are visiting.

For example, a bus driver in New South Wales will be able to apply the standard concession when an older Australian presents a valid State Government Seniors Card even if it is from another State or Territory.

This will include long distance rail travel on routes like the Indian Pacific, the Ghan and the Overland. Reciprocal transport concessions will help older Australians who like to travel to visit their grandchildren and see the country.

Currently, when they travel interstate many State Government Seniors Card holders cannot access local public transport concessions because their home state card is not recognised.

Previous efforts to enable State Government Seniors Card holders to access public rail, ferry, tram and bus concessions throughout the country have failed because the Howard Government has been unwilling to put sufficient funding toward realising this important outcome.

A Rudd Labor Government will negotiate with State and Territory Governments to ensure national reciprocal public transport concessions for seniors are in place by no later than 1 January 2009.

3. Helping older Australians, carers and people with disabilities to stay in touch – increased telephone allowance
Federal Labor wants older Australians, people with disabilities and carers to be able to access information and stay in touch with friends, children and grandchildren around the country and the world, via the internet.

That is why Federal Labor will make it more affordable for these Australians to access the internet at home, increasing the rate of the Telephone Allowance.

Federal Labor will increase the value of the Telephone Allowance for these Australians by 50 per cent – from $88 to $132 a year. Eligibility for Telephone Allowance currently requires one member of a household to be renting a phone line.

4. A Seniors’ Internet Fund
Federal Labor will establish a $15 million Seniors’ Internet Fund to establish free Internet kiosks in key community locations such as senior citizens centres and neighbourhood houses. Currently only one in five Australians over 65 years use the internet.

Federal Labor wants more older Australians to enjoy the benefits of the internet such as mastering new hobbies and accessing educational programs such as the University of the Third Age.

Federal Labor will provide one-off grant funding of up to $10,000 to seniors’ organisations to purchase desktop computers, a three year broadband internet connection and regular internet workshops to help build the confidence of seniors in using new technology.

Grants will be available to up to 2,000 eligible organisations and awarded on the basis of demonstrated need and willingness to provide a free service.