The one-off bonus for pensioners looks set to derail a rally planned for Sydney this month.
Organisers of the Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition in NSW admitted the Federal Government had taken the wind out of their sails with the announcement of an interim payment to pensioners before Christmas.
They were due to meet soon to decide whether to go ahead with a rally. They were realistic enough to realise grateful pensioners had quietened down, but concerned they would miss out on long term payments if they were fobbed off by the interim payment. Coalition members said the fight was not over.
Maurie Mifsud, spokesman for one of the many groups involved in the coalition, urged people not to lose their passion for the campaign for fundamental change to the base rate of the pension.
He said the $1400 interim payment would soon go and the underlying problems would remain. Victoria will go ahead with a rally in Melbourne on November 24, while a meeting will be held in Brisbane on November 26.
Organisers of the South Australian rally held soon after the interim bonus was announced said attendance was down on original expectations.
Rally speaker Patricia Reeve – who sits on the pension review reference group – urged pensioners to continue to campaign because the $30 to $35 being bandied about was not enough. She encouraged people to contact their local federal Member of Parliament and promote the Fair Go coalition.
Ms Reeve was one of the coalition members who were in Canberra lobbying for pension reform when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the pension bonuses.
The interim payment had been one of the coalition’s demands. Long term, it wants the base rate of the pension increased from 25 per cent to 35 per cent of the average male weekly wage.
Ms Reeve said it was ironic that it took a global financial crisis to get the bonus, but even more importantly the government for the first time had committed to a timetable for the long term solution.
Mr Rudd had said the long term solutions would be implemented in July of next year.
