Greens leader Bob Brown, campaigning in Perth today, renewed calls for a $30 a week increase in the aged pension.
"Kevin Rudd has missed the opportunity to genuinely help the 1.2 million Australians who rely solely on the aged pension to meet the rising cost of living," Senator Brown said.
"Australia's 2 million aged pensioners are John Howard's forgotten battlers. There hasn't been a substantial increase in the aged pension since 1993 and instead of giving pensioners real relief from the rising cost of living Kevin Rudd has echoed Mr Howard once again," Senator Brown said.
"The Greens' proposal for a $30 a week increase in the aged pension would cost $3 billion a year. That is less than the cost of the $3.5 billion tax cuts for people earning over $75,000 a year announced in the this year's federal budget."
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