Your name and address
Date
Address of Local MP??????????
Copy to a. Hon Allan Griffin MP, Minister for Veterans Affairs, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
2600
b. Hon Louise Markus MP, Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, Parliament House Canberra, ACT 2600
Dear( Your local MP)
As an ex-serviceman and a recipient of the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB)
Scheme Pension, I am writing to gain your support and assistance to rectify the injustices in the scheme.
The DFRDB Scheme is a statutory Scheme operating under the DFRDB Act [1973] and is in my
opinion, and in the opinion of a large number of my fellow recipients, unjust in a number of areas namely;
1. Indexation
- Our pensions are indexed bi-annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For the half year just ended, we
received no increase, as the March period CPI figure was less than the September ’08 figure. However, Age
Pensioners and other recipients of Government payments, whose payments are linked to the movement of wages,
received an increase. As no doubt will ex-politician’s pensions.
- It should also be noted that in the ACT and in some States, the cost of rates, utilities and other essential services
were increased on 1st July in line with the CPI. The ABS also advised that vegetable and grocery prices had
increased by 4% during that period.
- Two Senate Committees have recommended that the DFRDB/DFRB pensions should be wage based indexed yet
the Howard and now the Rudd Government has ignored this recommendation despite the appeals from ex-service
organisations.
2. Reversion of Pensions to Pre-commutation Levels
- When a Serviceman/woman decides to commute part of his/her DFRDB pension on retirement, the reduced
pension is calculated by a formula using “Actuarial Tables” for life expectancy. These tables were set in 1963 and
have not been updated for DFRDB recipients. We believe that once life expectancy has been reached, the pension
should be fully re-instated to the pre-commuted level
3. Equitable Pensions for Veterans Spouses
- As I understand the situation, the spouse of a deceased politician receives 83% of the politician’s pension, indexed
against the Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings, Public Sector (AWOTE[PS]). The AWOTE[PS] is higher than the
Male Total Average Weekly Earning s(MTAWE) let alone the CPI.
- The spouse of a deceased Defence pensioner receives a mere 62.5% of the members pension. That is indexed
against the CPI which is not a true indication of the increased in the cost of living.
I hope that you understand our feeling of injustice and our concerns about the successive Governments apparent apathy
and the lack of “duty of care” towards members of the DFRDB Scheme. There is a lack of fairness, justice and consistency.
We believe the Government should confirm its stated aim of looking after its Service personnel and veterans by amending
the Act to bring it into line with other Government Schemes
Yours sincerely
Here is an open letter composed by Ian Roberts and Rob Woolrych as discussed at the General
Meeting on 2 August 2009.
If you receive a pension under the DFRDB/DFRB Scheme you may be interested in the contents
of this letter and are free to copy it to send to your Local MP with a copy to Minister Griffin and
Shadow Minister Markus.
If you are not happy with the form of the letter you are most welcome to alter it as appropriate to
reflect your own way of expressing your feelings.