Defence Force personnel who served in the 80's suffered years of below community standard wages and conditins due the Hawke Government's decision to freeze our wages. When they were eventually unfrozen, we were in the order of 25% behind wage rises in most other industries but we got 4%. We did not catch up on this before the mid 90's after many of us had resigned. Our retirement benefits are still suffering from this lag. We should not be given another cut on top of that political decision in the early 80's.
as a 21 yr veteran i believe the government has sadly neglected those who VOLUNTEERED for military service. each year we see MP's etc grant themselves big payrises whilst we who are left grow old and much poorer as prices rise above our meager income.
I am disgusted to think that our self-funded DFRBF was taken from us and placed into consolidated revenue during Gough Whitlam's term in office as Prime Minister in 1972. Our fund was taken off us then and didn't reappear again until the mid 1980's. It's unfair to think that our Federal Government had taken our fund to use for government use, and now we are considered as "UNFUNDED" when our fund was being used by the Federal Government in consolidated revenue from approximately 1972 to 1984.
As a DFRDB Superannuant I fully concur with everything written by John Graham. Like several others I am sick of the Government spin on this subject. There is money available in the future fund for superannuants so let us sort out this mess.
So tired of the Goverment changing the pension rules to suit them selves and short sheeting the Defence Member who did the Goverments dirty work. FIX IT NOW.
It is time the Howard Government stops publicly applauding our service men and women and then legislatively shafting them. As an ex-serviceman I could not in all honesty commend a military career to any prospective recruit at the present time.
The DFRDB scheme was the best funed and manage in Australia until stolen by the federal government in 1975 to run the country when supply was blocked by the opposition.
Sick to death of our service personnel being treated as less deserving than the "average" Australian in matters of finance, health care and superannuation! FIX IT NOW!!
Where else can a Super Fund be raided by a Govt and used for other purposes.. If a Private Company "JUST TOOK"
Super Funds and used them to prop up bad Management of non Super projects it would be classed as CRIMINAL.Charges would be laid. DFRDB funds have been raided before and never repaid.
As the spouse of a Defence Pension, the lives, livelihood and future (schooling, university, career choice) of the whole family all depend on an "equitable" outcome.
