RESIDENTS have accused Member for Paterson Bob Baldwin of misleading the public over a political advertisement about the federal budget and its impact on senior Australians.
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Mr Baldwin’s full page ad titled: “the facts, senior Australians and the 2014 federal budget” appeared in the Great Lakes Advocate recently.
The ad states that “pensions will continue to increase twice a year” and that there “will be no reduction to the age pension.”
It also goes on to say that concession card holders will continue to access services at lower costs and the axing of the Carbon Tax will save the average Australian household $550 a year.
Local resident Gaye Tindall believes Mr Baldwin’s ad is misleading pensioners about the real facts of the budget.
“Fact one, the federal government has increased the age pension qualifying age to 70 by the year 2035. Bob Baldwin didn’t mention this vital change in his advertisement,” she said.
“Fact two, cutting the indexation of the age pension from September 1, 2017. This means the age pension will be cut by indexing the pension to the consumer price index.
“If this new indexation system had been in place for the last four years a single pensioner on a maximum rate would be around $1500 a year worse off than they are today. Bob Baldwin stated there will be no reduction to the age pension. He also states the coalition will guarantee that senior Australians will be provided with the support they are entitled to. They must feel betrayed.”
President of the Forster Tuncurry branch of the Australian Labor Party and Great Lakes councillor John Weate said the advertisement, which implies that pensioners will not be worse off as a result of the recent federal budget, is misleading.
Mr Weate said cutting the indexation of the age pension to the consumer price index (CPI) will have a negative flow on effect for seniors.
“Within 10 years if the pension remains indexed to CPI pensioners will be $4000 a year worse off,” Mr Weate said.
Branch member Louise Collins agreed saying Mr Baldwin’s comments on pensioners, seniors and the Australian economy was deceptive.
“Pensioners are facing cuts to many aspects of their lives including to pensioner discounts, pension increases and concession cards,” she said.
“The economy is in brilliant shape which is shown by the fact that Labor attained a AAA credit rating from all three agencies and that our debt-to-GDP ratio is significantly lower than any other advanced economy.
“Mr Baldwin and his band of merry men should stop publishing lies targeted towards seniors. They are not as naive as he thinks.”
Mr Baldwin says he stands by the advertisements and denies they are misleading.
“I placed it as I was contacted by pensioners who were confused about how the budget would affect them. I have since been contacted by constituents thanking me for clearing up the confusion,” Mr Baldwin said.
“It would appear that the ALP now need my assistance to help clear up the mixed messages as well.
“I find it interesting that the ALP continue to cling to the AAA credit rating as an endorsement of their debt level. How can a high level of debt be seen as a good thing when we have no assets to show for the spend?
“The ALP left government with a $260 billion deficit climbing through to $677 billion over the period of the Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement.
“Clearly the economy is not in ‘brilliant shape’ as labor would have you believe. If you believe that you would believe in fairies in the bottom of the garden.”