Labor copies Coalition policy on super, but don’t hold your breath

02/11/11

In February this year Bronwyn Bishop, Shadow Minister for Seniors, introduced a Private Member’s Bill to abolish the insidious discrimination against workers 70 years and over who remain in the paid workforce. Labor knocked back the Bill.

Mrs Bishop sought to change the law whereby employers of those over the age of 70 years can choose whether or not to pay them their superannuation entitlement. She also sought to abolish the law making it illegal to pay superannuation entitlements to employees 75 years and over.

The Labor Government and its partners Mr Windsor, Mr Oakeshott, Mr Bandt and Mr Wilkie prevented a vote to overturn these discriminatory laws.

‘Now Labor would have us believe they have had a change of heart with Minister Bill Shorten announcing Labor has adopted our policy’, Mrs Bishop said.

‘My bill would have had immediate effect unlike Mr Shorten’s promised date of July 2013.’

‘Labor cannot be trusted. Minister Shorten’s claim to adopt the Opposition’s policy saying ‘we’ll scrap the age discrimination levels for everyone who goes to work’, has the familiar hollow ring of the Prime Minister‘s statement: ‘there will be no carbon tax under any Government I lead.’’

‘More and more seniors are remaining in the paid work force and re-entering paid work after trying retirement, and they will not be fooled. They know Labor’s track record.’ Mrs Bishop said. ‘Our policy remains firm and we will abolish the insidious discrimination’.