Current Developments from Nov 2010

20 Sep 2011

{rsfiles path=”Letters/Peter-Criss_3-August-2011.pdf”}11 Aug 2011. Second Front Sitrep 6. Operation Letter Raid. Read it here

7 Aug 2011. Second Front Sitrep 5. Operation Letter Raid. Read it here

29 July 2011. ADSO Media Brief. Media Pack comprising Brief “Defence Retirees Ripped Off Again” , FAQ, Cost data and letter to PM sent to national media outlets. Read it here..

28 July 2011. ADSO Letter to the Prime Minister

22 July 2011. ABC TV – 7.30 pm Victoria: watch it here. (link to the ABC website). Read our press release challenging Defence Minister Smiths comments..

13 July 2011. Radio 2CC (Canberra) here: Listen to what Neil Weekes said in response to Mike Kellys interview of 7 July

23 July 2011.Second Front Sitrep 4. Read it here

12 July 2011. Second Front Sitrep 3. Read it here

12 July 2011. ADSO Update 3/2011. 

7 July 2011. Second Front Sitrep 2. Read it here

7 July 2011. Radio 2CC (Canberra) podcast : listen to Mike Kelly MP blame everyone else and say little about what the Government actually intends to do about fair indexation.

2 July 2011. Second Front Sitrep 1. Read it here

30 June 2011. ADSO Document: Can You Trust The Governments Quoted Costs? No ! Read why here

30 June 2011. ADSO Document: Indexation – Frequently Asked Questions. Read the FAQ here.

DEFENCE FORCE RETIREMENT AND DEATH BENEFITS AMENDMENT (FAIR INDEXATION) BILL 2010

30 Jun 2011. DFWA Summary. With the failure of the Fair Indexation Bill, all is not lost. Read it here.

25 June 2011. Retired Brigadier Neil Weekess letter to the PM and others together with a supporting letter from Ian McMannus (an ex NSW State Labor MP) is posted on Independent Australia a current affairs web site by Tess Lawrence, a journalist advocate. The response leads to the opening of the ADSOs FGC s Second Front – People Power, under Neils leadership.

16 June 2011. The Senate rejected the Bill – read here.

The Senate was asked (proposed by Senator Xenophon) to find a way of funding fair indexation “within 6 to 12 months.” This will be a focus of our lobbying.

8 June 2011 Department Of Finance And Deregulation Figures Found Wanting!

Read what The Public Service Informant (The Canberra Times 8 June 2011) thinks about the Departments methods of accounting here. No wonder the politicians dont get good objective advice in order to make an informed decision about fair indexation!

07 Jun 2011 . ADSO Update. 2/ 2011. Read the second of our phase 2 Campaigns update here.

2 June 2011 the House passed the Motion on a show of hands – read ADSO press release (2 Jun 2011) here.

23 May 2011. House of Representatives – Private Members Motion from S Robert (Lib) was debated in the House of Representatives – read it here.

10 May 2011. The Senate Committee Report

The Committee, voting on party lines recommended the Senate not approve the Bill. The dissenting report recommends otherwise. Sadly, we can only surmise that some of our Parliamentarians are not concerned with the continuing unfair treatment of retired military superannuants, yet are happy for photo opportunities with veterans and serving military on Anzac Day, farewelling our soldiers when they depart for an overseas deployment, attending funerals, etc and then hypocritically deny them basic social justice (provided to other Australians) with fair indexation.

06 May 2011. ADSO Update. 2/2011. Read the first of our phase 2 Campaigns update here.

16 April 2011. Senator wong offers tacit support ? During an ABC TV “Big Ideas” segment, rerun on ABC News 24 on 16 April, there was a public debate titled “The Major Parties are Failing Us”, held in Melbourne on the 5 April 2011. Watch and listen here. The Minister for Finance, Penny Wong, was the last debater and she mentioned the indexation issue in the context of other competing funding priorities being faced by the Government.

The Association is gratified that for the first time, a Government Minister has acknowledged in public arena that our cause has merit: Min Wong used fair indexation as an example of worthy social justice consideration “certainly a worthy ask”. However the Minister again focussed on cost, and explained that the Government was at odds to funding fair indexation because of its supposed un-affordability and prioritisation of competing financial demands.

ADSO agrees that cost is the stumbling block on this issue: what we need is to reinforce with policy makers that current Government policy rests on a rocky foundation of imprecise data, ill-conceived ideas and false assumptions that underpins the policy advice they have been receiving so far. Our evidence is in the public arena and is well documented: as a start we invite readers to examine the public submissions from the Alliance of Defence Service Organisations and from Mr Peter Thornton to the Senate Inquiry into the Fair Indexation Bill.

The specific comments relating to us start at about 5:30mins into the attached clip … but it is important to watch the whole thing to appreciate the context in which she made the comments.

14 Apr 2011.Submissions to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee.

The DFWA, as part of the Alliance of Defence Service Organisations (ADSO), has made a submission read it here. A supplementary (late) submission, to counter the inaccurate claims made by the Department of Finance and Deregulation, is here.

24 Mar 2011. The Senate referred the Bill 2010 for inquiry and report. The Senate also referred the amendments circulated by Senator Ronaldson and proposed mechanisms for funding the Bill, to its for inquiry and report. The report is due on 10 May 2011.

02 Mar 2011. DFWAs Press Release (2 Mar 2011) is here The Bill was scheduled for debate in the Senate on 10 Feb but has been deferred to 24 Mar. Senator Wong has written to the Opposition indicating the Bill is “unconstitutional”!

Feb 2011. A DFWA summary of activities post the 2010 Election 2011 is here

19 Jan 2011,The DFWA commentary on the Bill released (19 Jan 2011). It expands on the Bills Digest to provide a more objective overview of the matter

22 Dec 2010. The Parliamentary Library Bills Digest No.55 provides a commentary on the Bill.

Nov 2010. The Bill was introduced to the Senate by Senator Ronaldson (Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs). It seeks to amend the DFRDB Act to amend the indexation arrangements for DFRDB pensions. The Opposition has advised that it will be further amended to include DFRB superannuants.