Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 14 to 22 March is New South Wales Seniors Week, a week that acknowledges their contribution to the community;

(b) older Australians make an enormous contribution to our communities;

(c) all older Australians deserve to live in dignity; and

(d) the Government is attacking the standard of living of seniors and pensioners by undermining the pension, benefits to seniors, Medicare and support services for older Australians; and

(2) calls on the Government to reverse its anti-seniors ageist approach to government and service delivery.

This is New South Wales Seniors Week. It is the largest festival in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is an opportunity to say thank you to seniors for the many and varied roles they play in our communities across New South Wales, both past and present. The contribution of seniors is enormous, and quite often it flies under the radar. Listening to the Abbott government, and in particular to the Treasurer, Australians could be forgiven for thinking that pensioners were nothing more than a burden, responsible for an enormous budget expenditure and, in fact, a major contributor to the budget deficit. This is a short-sighted, erroneous and quite fallacious proposition that has been put forward by the Abbott government. All the Abbott government can do is look at one side of the equation—the side that says this is how much money we spend on pensions, this is how much money we spend on health—instead of looking at the whole picture and understanding and recognising that seniors' contribution to our society is very varied.

They contribute in many ways, including volunteerism and child care. We have a situation in Australia where the cost of child care and availability of child care is being constantly debated, and seniors make an enormous contribution in providing child care. Rather than being a negative for the economy, seniors contribute in many and varied ways such as the grey nomads and travel. Their lifestyle generates income for the economy. They have enormous knowledge, and that knowledge they share with those around them. The arts and their contribution in that area is many and varied. These are just a couple of samples that I have added to this debate.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Abbott and Treasurer Hockey seem unable to recognise this. Instead, they continue to promote negative stereotypes of senior Australians, equating ageing with sickness, disability and dementia. Two out of three people over the age of 65 have excellent health and lead a very active lifestyle. It is a myth that they are a burden on our society. Eighty per cent of people over 70 live independently and care for themselves. It is a myth that an ageing population is a looming crisis. People are living longer and enjoying life more. None of this is put forward by the Abbott government.

Instead, what they do is wage an attack on senior Australians. All you need to do is go to last year's budget to understand the contempt they have for seniors and pensioners in Australia. The PBS increased the price of medications, and then there is their GP tax—or what they like to call a Medicare surcharge. I held a rally in my electorate and I had people 90 years of age coming out and opposing the GP tax. Finally, kicking and screaming, they have put it on hold for a while. Increasing the eligibility for pensioners to 70 years of age is fine if you have got a white collar job. But if you are out there working as a labourer each and every day, putting your body on the line, it is going to be absolutely catastrophic. By changing the way the pension is indexed, pensioners will receive less money. There is a plan to cut the seniors supplement. Thankfully, the Senate has not passed that. But, once again, it is an attack on seniors by the Abbott government. Centrelink is anything but user friendly for our pensioners and seniors that visit there. There are cuts to organisations supporting seniors, and in New South Wales the privatisation of electricity will increase the cost of electricity. It will also mean less dollars for services for Seniors Australia, and the Baird government's opposition to the price cut of electricity is on the record.

My message to senior Australians that are celebrating Seniors Week this week is that you know you have the support of us in the opposition. You know that we value each of you and everything that you do. We know that you make a valuable contribution to not only New South Wales but Australia, unlike those on the other side of this House who do not value your contributions.

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