Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Gilmore has many seniors, who I refer to as the wise ones in our region. It is their wisdom, their selflessness and their impact on the social and economic wellbeing of our community that we value the most. They are an important part of the CWA, the Men's Sheds, the workers at Vinnies, the team who volunteer for Meals on Wheels and the members of Rotary and Lions. Many of these people would be termed 'seniors' by younger whippersnappers, but none sees themselves as old. We recognise they are a major asset. You need only look at the website for NSW Seniors Week to see the change in attitude to those who used to be the 'old ones' in our community There it is, heading the web: 'Be inspired, be active'—accompanied by photos of a dancing couple and a bushwalker ready to hike. There are invitations to start canoeing, to learn to ride a trike, to have a weekend in Jindabyne and to take part in other more traditional activities such as trivia nights and safe scooter travel.

Way back in biblical times, getting to the ripe old age of three score years and 10—for the whippersnappers, a score of years is 20 years—was almost a miracle; you were viewed as a 'venerable elder'. But that is not so much the case now. If you were to call someone in their 70s a venerable elder now, they would most likely chase you around the golf course or chuck you in the surf! Times have changed. In the township of Milton we have a resident named Mrs Maisie Evans who lives independently in her own residence. The Illawarra Retirement Trust helps her with chores and shopping. In January the remarkable Maisie reached her 103rd birthday. This year about 4,000 people in Australia will turn 100. In 2025 there will be about 10,000 people turning 100. And 40 years from now there are likely to be 40,000 celebrating their 100th birthday. Every single one of them deserves to live with dignity.

It is all very well for Labor to squawk about changing the pension age from 67 to 70, but who introduced 67 years as the age eligibility in the first place? Labor did. One could ask: why did they do that? If they were being honest instead of political, they know that in 10 to 20 years time it is unlikely that our great pension system will be available. There simply will not be any money left on the money tree—because we have borrowed too much already. We absolutely must have money set aside. We must stop the increasing flow of debt growth if we are going to help our pensioners of the future. The pensioners of the future have the right to expect us to take care of their senior years, as do the pensioners of today. It is our responsibility to make sure they all live with the dignity they so rightly deserve.

The Labor party overspent in their time of government, causing grief and financial discomfort not only for the pensioners of today but also for the pensioners of tomorrow, next week and 40 years from now. Why? I ask them sincerely: is being in government such a critical ambition that you would compromise the financial dignity of our fellow Australians? It is about time the previous government actually put their politics aside and worked for the dignity of not just our wonderful seniors but all those who need income support. In 2015, only 4.5 out of every 10 persons aged between 15 and 64 years are working; in 2055, only 2.7 out of every 10 persons aged between 15 and 64 years will be working. Do the maths! This is completely unsustainable. The current investment in the age pension is approximately $42 billion; in 2017-18 we will need to invest almost $50 billion. We are living healthier and longer; three score years and 10 is no longer considered to be old.

The coalition government is keeping the commitment not to change pensions. There are proposed changes but they will not come into effect until after the next election; and these changes may need to be modified, as has been indicated in recent discussions with Minister Morrison. Also, there is a possibility that pensions may be reviewed every three years so that an appropriate safety net is kept. Frankly I despise the untruths that are being peddled. The pension will continue to rise every six months as it always has done. We kept the much needed energy supplement, originally paid as compensation for damage done by the electricity hike of the carbon tax. We have reduced out-of-hospital medical expenses by lowering the Medicare safety net threshold. These all add to extra money for our pensioners; and it is not borrowed, so we will not have a million dollar daily debt to pay back.

Last Tuesday I spoke to the Association of Independent Retirees. They understand the need for debt reduction. They have worked incredibly hard throughout their working life and are now active and vital members of our community. We really do value our older citizens. With the Restart Wage Subsidy, we are trying to encourage them to stay in the workforce. We look after our older people. We have a duty to make sure we provide for them all. (Time expired)

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