Superannuation Information

robert lake · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:57 pm

I stood outside my local members office with a placard [ in the rain, I know , sook] in protest with a group of ex military old farts, and I was the only ex sailor. The Army has the ball on this, & is running with it. Time for some of the Senior service to get off their bums & make a statement. I recommend highly , get on the Standto website, read all they have to say, and support their effort. They , & ADSO, are the front runners on this.

Unless we exservice people are united, we will get no where. Time for a combined service effort, people. And don't be leeches, sucking off the effort of a few, get in and make your point. Bob

Ps, my local member is Wayne Swan .

robert lake · **Posted:** Wed Mar 20, 2013 7:41 am

This info was just e-mailed to me, a bit late, but if you miss the interview, it should be posted on the www.standto.org. website ;

It’s Time to Listen and Act

Peter Criss will be interviewed by Greg Carey in the 4BC studio tomorrow (Wednesday 20 March) at 10.00 am Queensland time. The interview will last as long as required to cover the issues and listener interest is there.

This is a great opportunity for Peter to clearly explain some of the matters that are often curtailed because of time pressures in radio interviews. BUT it requires your support to make it successful. It is hugely important that we support Peter and the Greg Carey to show the public, politicians and other media that there is a large groundswell of veteran support.

Here’s what we ask you to do.

Once the interview is underway, start emailing the station with your supportive comments and/or ring the Greg Carey Show to voice your opinions. Even if you only get to the Station switchboard, your comments will be noted.

After the interview continue to call the station and on their website leave your comments once the podcast has been uploaded.

You can listen live to 4BC here:
http://4bcsaves.com.au/stream/listen.php

You can email the station here:
http://www.4bc.com.au/contact-us.html (Select Greg Carey)

You can ring the Talkback line here:
Talkback Line – 13 13 32
Talkback Line (if calling from outside of Brisbane) – 07 3908 8800

You can send a text message here:
SMS – 0427 13 13 32

Please do whatever you can to support this event and spread the word quickly to all of your contacts.

robert lake · **Posted:** Wed Mar 20, 2013 11:42 am

The momentum is building

HomeFG IndexationDiggers take shots at Prime Minister Julia Gillard over superannuation scheme Diggers take shots at Prime Minister Julia Gillard over superannuation scheme
Arising from our ADSO Fair Go Campaign Rally at Rooty Hill recently the Sydney Daily Telegraph has taken a keen interest in the matter with Simon Black following up on his first article PM snubs veterans with his latest article in Monday's Daily Telegraph here .

That was an abridged version. Here is the complete article:
AUSTRALIAN ex-servicemen and women have warned Prime Minister Julia Gillard they have the power to deliver western Sydney to Tony Abbott if she refuses to make changes to the military superannuation scheme.

Under the current scheme, tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), an individual on a military pension can receive thousands of dollars less per year than someone on an aged pension, which is referenced at the very minimum to 27.7% of Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE).

Diggers said they have been heartened by meetings with both the PM and opposition leader Tony Abbott in the last week but warned they wouldn't be "led up the garden path"
"We're at the end of our tolerance," Defence Force Welfare Association National President (DFWA), David Jamison, said. "Hopefully these meetings weren't designed solely to placate."
Mr Jamison said his organisation had been working behind the scenes with MPs trying to find a solution.
"(But) if that solution is not part of the budget announcement we believe we have been led up the garden path again," he said. "If needs be we can work hard to swing elections."

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information reveal individuals on Defence and Commonwealth Defined Superannuation Benefits (DCDSB) hold the difference in a number of Western Sydney electorates as well as dozens of others nationally.
The seat of Greenway, held by Michelle Rowland, has 92256 registered electors. Of that number 4305 are on DCDSB, making up 4.67 per cent of the electorate.
With the seat only held by a margin of 0.88 per cent their votes could swing the seat in the September Federal Election.
The same is true in Anthony Albanese's electorate of Grayndler, Lindsay - held by David Bradbury, Reid - held by John Murphy, and Banks - held by Daryl Melham.
In six other electorates their votes would shrink the margin to a knife's edge.
In 44 of the 150 Federal Electorates individuals on DCDSB exceed the margin, in some cases by as much as double.

Federal President of the Superannuated Commonwealth Officers' Association, John Coleman, said people on commonwealth defined benefits would stand shoulder to shoulder with Diggers in lobbying for indexation changes.
"People are really really angry about this," Mr Coleman said. "It's been going on for so long."
"I've talked to members all over the country and they will vote on this."

Economist for the DFWA Peter Thornton cited a 2001 statement to the senate select committee finding CPI was "not a measure of cost of living" but was "a measure of inflation...there are differences between those two".
"Twelve years later (and) the money we're supposed to be living on has been steadily eroded," Mr Thornton said.
A spokesperson for Julia Gillard confirmed the PM had met with the Diggers and said she would consider "alternate costings" to the government's estimate of $1.7 billion if they were provided to her.

But Mr Thornton said the government's costings around the program were an example of "the dark arts".
"The costs of the program are a projection over 40 years," he said. "Look at us. We'll all be dead before the 40 years are up."

He also pointed out the governments $1.7 billion cost had treated the payments to veterans as a lump sum debt, "but this cost is ridiculous because no debt exists. Instead payments should only be treated as a non-discretionary obligation sourced from Consolidated Revenue when they fall due".
"The Government's cost is completely disingenuous," he said.
Tony Abbott last week resigned a commitment to change the indexation around military superannuation, stating that: "As far back as 2007, Labor led people to believe it would provide a fairer deal for ex-servicemen and women". "Labor has never delivered."

A spokesperson for Mr Abbott said the coalition had costed changes to the scheme at $100 million.

Mr Thornton said the estimate was consistent with his costings but stated: "this commitment does not cover all retirees".
"It only covers those over 55 years of age on older military schemes now closed," he said.
"When you consider younger veterans or widows who rely on the current military super scheme then where's the equity in that?"

robert lake · **Posted:** Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:19 pm

A bit long winded, but informative, ADSO training video, standto.org

http://vimeo.com/54420216

robert lake · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:07 pm

From Ross Eastgate, Townsville bulletin

Analysis: FOR those who trust in such things this year's calendar may hold portents for the outcome of the federal election.

If the Prime Minister is true to her word it will be held on Saturday, September 14, now 177 days away.

The superstitious among you will realise this follows Friday the 13th, unlucky for some.

The following day, September 15, commemorates the Battle of Britain about which Winston Churchill said of the gallant but numerically inferior Allied pilots, never was so much owed by so many to so few.

That could be interpreted in any number of ways depending on your politics.

Electoral pundits aren't the only ones closely monitoring the calendar.

For many politicians the remaining 177 days could be the last of their political careers.

For some an unceremonious eviction from the parliamentary club will end their hopes of procuring a lifelong, taxpayer-funded pension generously indexed to current parliamentary salaries.

Them's the breaks but they are unlikely to attract any sympathy from military superannuants who have watched their compulsory, self-funded pensions erode as successive governments have refused to listen to their legitimate concerns.

The arguments are not difficult to understand.

Military superannuants under the old DFRB/DFRDB schemes made compulsory contributions to the scheme, which could be accessed only after 20 years service.

Those pensions were neither a welfare payment nor a benefit, they were a condition of service funded by a 5.5 per cent pre-tax salary deduction.

Contributors were assured then subsequent pensions would be indexed to maintain their purchasing power.

They were until the late 1980s but are not now as they are linked to CPI, which means their purchasing power has been gradually eroded.

Those disadvantaged superannuants now simply want their pensions to be indexed fairly to restore their purchasing power.

That's not a big ask but it has been a question both sides of politics have been reluctant to listen to, though they have had plenty to say on why unfair indexation of military superannuation should not be changed.

Some have even suggested military superannuation pensions should be means tested, a proposal all Australian superannuants should regard with alarm.

However it's amazing what an imminent election can achieve.

The Coalition recently gave a written commitment to index most military superannuation pensions fairly, should it win the next election.

The apolitical Alliance of Defence Service Organisations has cautiously welcomed that commitment.

When the Prime Minister was politely confronted by a small group of ex-service personnel during her recent Rooty Hill sojourn, she agreed to meet ADSO leaders in Canberra as early as this week.

Former Army lawyer now Minister for Defence Material Mike Kelly also met a small ADSO delegation last Friday, the Ides of March.

Kelly should be sympathetic but has not demonstrated so far that he is prepared to override his ideological colleagues who have more pressing agendas than the plight of the superannuated ex-service community.

The Gillard government could easily rectify the situation in the May budget, or voters could decide in 177 days.

Peter Weyling · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:22 pm

Fxxk me!! Don't base your decision on polling day purely on the DFRB/DFRDB issue. Look at the whole shambles this Govt has been during it's period. Look at how much DEBT we are running up day by day,reminding yourself of the pink batts, schools shit, border protection, media freedom, mining tax, small business, fishing industry, live cattle, NBN!!!, solar panel rebates, green loans, cash for clunkers, fuel watch. groceery watch, health rebate etc etc....All these wasted $$$$$$$.
Don't forget ALL the reasons WHY this mob MUST go!!!!!!!

robert lake · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:57 pm

Get off the rum , mate, this is a thread about military super, not party politics, stay on the subject. And this is about those who need it the most. And their Spouses. If you don't mind me saying , take that somewhere else, stay with the program. And no bloody smilies added .

Peter Weyling · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:25 pm

Yes Chief!!!!!

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:39 am

Settle down, girls...! [-(

This isn't the bloody Gun Plot...! :roll:

Mick Thompson · **Posted:** Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:25 am

Agreed Rick,
But unless there is no moderator intervention on strongly held political beliefs aired here we will end up down the same path as the Gun Plot.
Mick

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