More than 102,300 pensioners in Tasmania will be supported as Australia moves to a low-carbon economy, Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten announced at the Golden Years Club in Hobart today.
Mr Shorten outlined the assistance to pensioners and self funded retirees over lunch, where he spoke about the assistance pensioners and self-funded retirees will receive from the Gillard Government's Clean Energy Future package.
"I am very happy to be visiting the Golden Years Club today and meeting some of Tasmania's pensioner community," Mr Shorten said.
"I am also proud to say that the Gillard Government will ensure that more than half of the revenue raised from polluters will go to households to help meet price impacts and help them do their bit for climate change."
"There are more than 102,300 pensioners in Tasmania, more than 18,200 in Denison alone, all of whom will get assistance that at least offsets their expected average cost increases under a carbon price."
The Government will give assistance to pensioners equivalent to a 1.7 per cent increase in the maximum rate of the pension—an increase of up to $338 for singles and $255 for each member of a couple. All pensioners receive this assistance.
"This is more than the expected average impact of the carbon price on general prices of 0.7 per cent, and more than the impact on the cost of the things pensioners buy of around 1.1 per cent, and provides a buffer for pensioners who have higher than average costs," Mr Shorten said.
Tasmanian Senator Carol Brown said self-funded retirees who are taxpayers would also benefit from tax cuts.
"Self funded retirees who have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card will get the same amount of cash assistance as is provided through the pension," Senator Carol Brown said.
Through their Seniors Supplement, self-funded retirees who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card will also receive $338 for singles and $255 for each member of a couple. This will be in addition to their current entitlement and be the same amount of assistance as for the age pension.
Seniors that do not receive a pension, do not pay tax and are not holders of a Seniors Health Card may be eligible for the Low Income Supplement, an annual $300 payment to be paid by Centrelink.
Mr Shorten also reminded people that the carbon price will not directly apply to the price of fuel that households will pay at the petrol bowsers.
"That means the carbon price won't apply to the price of petrol that Tasmanian pensioners pay at the fuel pump," he said.
Further information about the Government's clean energy future and carbon price announcement is available at www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au.