The State Liberal Party has today called on Premier Rann and Prime Minister Gillard to support the Coalition’s policy to introduce improved superannuation pension indexation arrangements for Veterans and Ex-Service Personnel.

Ex-Serviceman and Shadow Minister for Defence Industries, Martin Hamilton-Smith, introduced a motion to Parliament calling on the Rann and Gillard Labor Governments to support the Coalition’s policy.

The Coalition’s policy, announced on the 27th June, will make a big difference to the thousands of Veterans and Ex-Service Personnel.

“Importantly, the Federal Coalition has fully costed and funded the policy.  The Gillard Government must now do the same.

“Sadly the response from State and Federal Labor to this initiative has been a deafening silence,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, Duncan McFetridge, said the Coalition’s policy acts on Federal Labor’s broken 2007 election promise.

 “We commend the Federal Coalition for committing to increase this pension support from 1 July 2011.

“It means that Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Scheme members aged 55 years or older will have their military superannuation pensions indexed to the greater of the CPI, Male Total Average Weekly Earnings or the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index.

“Previously it was only indexed to CPI, while the aged pension is calculated as per the above formula.

“It is only fair that our Veterans and Ex-Service Personnel receive the same increases to their pensions.

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