Fair go for our veterans

Questions to ask your politicial representatives

Back to about

Former and currently serving members of the Australian Defence Force appreciate the interest you are taking in their welfare. We want to reassure you that we are not trying to influence the way you will vote in the 2010 federal election. But we are trying to influence the way you question the motives and actions of your political representatives and those who desire to become your political representatives.

Therefore we have listed below some questions you might consider asking your local representatives in the federal parliament, to ensure that these parliamentarians fully understand the views of their constituents. We thank you, in anticipation of your support in these matters.

Questions Specifically for Liberal Party and National Party Representatives:

• Why did the Coalition government reject the recommendations of several parliamentary enquiries, to increase the rate of indexation of military superannuation pensions?

Questions Specifically for ALP Representatives:

• Why did Kate Lundy reject the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Amendment (Fair Indexation) Bill 2010 in the Senate on 16 June 2011, when she when she went to the last election saying she strongly supported fairer indexation?
• Why has the Rudd Labor government not honoured the spirit of its election commitment when in opposition, to improve the indexation of military superannuation pensions?
• Why did the Rudd Labor government reject the recommendations for higher indexation of military pensions from several parliamentary enquiries, and accept the recommendations from the only enquiry that recommended no change to indexation?
• Why was the pre-2004-election parliamentarians' superannuation scheme deliberately excluded from examination by the Review of Pension Indexation Arrangements in Australian Government Civilian and Military Superannuation Schemes, conducted by Mr Mathews?
• Why did the Rudd Labor Government withhold the report by Mr Mathews (submitted in 2008) until mid-2009, when all of the recommendations were accepted without challenge?

Questions for All Representatives:

• Why are military superannuation pension funds managed by the Department of Finance instead of the Department of Veterans' Affairs?
• How can you justify the generous superannuation pensions for the pre-2004 election scheme for federal politicians, when the scheme is structurally the same as for DFRDB superannuants?
• How can you justify indexing pre-2004 parliamentary pensions at nearly double the rate of indexing military superannuation pensions?
• Would you support a proposal to index military superannuation pensions in accordance with the greater of CPI or MTAWE?
• How can you justify paying the spouse of a deceased military superannuant only five eighths (62.5%) of the pension the member was entitled to?
• Would you support a proposal to pay the spouse of a deceased military superannuant 100% of the pension he was entitled to?

top of page