The wealthy will get a far bigger increase in their tax cuts coming soon. Not a paltry $14.80 per fortnight. With the majority of the wealthy there will be very, very little benefit to the local economy but with pensioners 100% of the $14.80 will see it's way back into the local economy with the government getting back any GST component.

And still over 35% of people over 65 are living on or below the poverty line and most of them are women.

Shame shame shame.

It's an overdue increase which just catches up with price increases that have already occurred. Nobody will be any better or worse off for it.

Please explain this inequity re rent assistance .... why does a single person receive less than an individual who is part of a couple? I live in a Manufactured Homes Village & the single residents pay the same rent as couples to the Park Owners!

After my rent goes up $5 per week per person, I am left with a whole $1.20 per fortnight for myself. not enough for a cup of coffee.

I don't pay over the $318 per fortnight in rent, so I again lose in rent assistance.  Since the last rise, I will have lost $1.50 per fortnight.

Usually  the  increase is about $7 anyway so we are only getting an extra  $7.80 ; will we get the usual $7 again next March as well?

Single Rent supplement has risen by $2.09 a fortnight, end of the year my rent goes up $10 a week and why do couples get more rent allowance when the rent is the same for both????

Well lah de dah The polies must sleep well now. Probably a 50% return to the government on our tax investment for our pensions.

Who else can smell an election in the air?

For a single age pensioner, who owns his own cheap little country house (cost me $72,000), and with no big medical expenses, the age pension is way more than I need to cover all my expenses. In fact, I save around $5,000 or so per year from my sole income .... the full age pension. You don't need to be well off to be happy and contented in life.