Pensioners slam superannuation

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 14

Pensioners slam superannuation

The Government is with-is lout honour, according to the( ’’president of the FederationL iof Beneficiaries (Mr F. Me-! c ’Cornish). Its superannuation t scheme, which went into s effect on February 7, was * “top heavy', bungling, unjust t and iniquitous.” 1 Addressing the Christ- 1 church Beneficiaries’ Asso- x ciation, he said that the Government could not say t ’that nobody would be worse v off under the new scheme. c “Before the last election, A National claimed grandilo- t quently that all pensioners r would be better off,” he p said. “Now they say merely n that nobody will be worse v (off. which is vastly different’t i—and thev can ill afford tole I

say even that. “The Minister of Social Welfare (Mr Walker) and the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) continually make the; absurd claim that some pen-, sioners will be better off I than some adult workers on the award wage. It’s ridiculous, even if the scheme; is linked to the minimum wage.” Mr McComish said that! the most staggering thing; was the increase in the cost of living, which even the Minister of Trade and Indus-1 try (Mr Adams-Schneider) i recently admitted was ap-‘ palling. This had eroded any ’ new benefits so that people' were not better off, even if’ there were a few dollars’ extra in the pension.