FROZEN PENSIONS

All the latest news and opinions can be seen at

Pension Parity  <<Click here

This site includes a transcript of the oral evidence presented by our counsel, Tim Otty. This is the script handed to the Court, but may not have been followed word for word by Tim when he made his speech.

The government tried to spring a dirty trick by presenting more written argument after the "deadline". Typical of their cynical attitude.

---

PRESS RELEASE

Press Release <<Click here

The National Insurance Fund

Is there a National Insurance Fund, or is it just "paper money"? See National Insurance Fund

We are supported in what we say by an item in the House of Commons Library.

snsg-0797.pdf

APPLYING FOR A PENSION

After much frustration with the DWP web site we finally located the form on which you apply for a pension. This form should be used for any kind of pension, including the wife category B pension.

It can be found at http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/br1/br1apr09.pdf  Download, print, complete, and send to them.

For details of the category B pension, see pension_guidelines_7.htm

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

DWP have produced a pamphlet setting out how you can pay voluntary contributions and increase the amount of your basic pension. You can find a copy at Voluntary Contributions

BAPA advises that if you were not told about VCs at the time your pension started you may be allowed to pay VCs on the basis that they will take the money out of any back pay you are due. They seem to be less insistent that you must demonstrate that it was not your fault that you did not know.

MEETING WITH JENNY MACKLIN

As reported by Jack (see below) BAPA was invited to attend a meeting with the Minister, Jenny Macklin. This meeting was attended by our President, James Nelson, and also by Jim Tilley, Chairman of BPiA.

The date of the meeting was rescheduled several times for different reasons, but it took place at the Federal Government offices in Melbourne on 2nd July at 2.30 pm. It lasted for one crowded hour. As well as the Minister and us the meeting was attended by Peter Hutchinson and Ryan Batchelor. Peter is a senior official in the department, and has been very helpful to us over the years. Ryan is an Adviser to the Minister.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including reporting on what we had been doing to bring the fight up to the ministers, the size of the NIF, helping pensioners to get the right to pay Voluntary Contributions - too many to report in detail here.

The Minister told us that she has been in touch with the appropriate minister in the UK, and Peter told us that they had been writing to Sir Leigh Lewis, the head honcho in DWP.

We thanked the Minister for her support. I raised the question of financial support, and she seemed to be favourably inclined. However there will be no immediate financial support. We will raise the matter again when the case is further along and we know what commitments for legal expenses the Consortium incurs.

James Nelson, President

THE FOLLOWING IS A REPORT ON THE MEETING PREPARED BY JIM TILLEY

addressed to members of BPiA

I have delayed this “June” report because on Wednesday July 2^nd, for about 1 hour, I met with Minister Jenny Macklin in Melbourne. Also attending was BAPA’s President James Nelson. We were given a cordial hearing attended too by one of her advisers together with Peter Hutchinson an officer from the Dep’t of Family Affairs and Social Security Canberra, who has been known to us for several years.

Probably the 2 most significant outcomes of the meeting were that the Minister was interested in discovering how she might best support us, undertaking to have her staff investigate several alternative ways in which we suggested this might happen. Among them was to ask the Foreign Minster, Steven Smith, whether and how our pension indexing issue might be considered at the next CHOGM, [2009] if the issue is still unresolved at that time. Also she agreed to see how she might approach Canada’s equivalent Minister to investigate how they might work together, as the Consortium does, to achieve, if necessary, our joint goal of UK age pension parity with other countries.

We also asked that various kinds of assistance to promote our organisations might be considered, while finally I did suggest the level of taxing the UK pension, having regards to the 40/60% Centrelink pension adjustment for those on the Australian pension, might be the subject of  review. Time constraints resulted in this latter request generating no further discussion but I will follow it up in a letter of thanks to the Minister hoping for further discussion with her or a senior department staffer in the future on this subject.  All in all the meeting went well.

THE BAPA FEDERAL ALP CAMPAIGN

 

Subsequent to our previous pre-election Senator campaign, we have now canvassed all of the current ALP members seeking their support for a new reciprocal agreement which would include indexation. I have received a very positive commitment from Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs who recognises the injustice and unfairness of the current situation and has stated that seeking a new reciprocal agreement would be given priority, and that the government is considering the most appropriate action to address this issue. BAPA has currently been invited to attend a meeting with the Minister to discuss all of the aspects which can be developed to overcome the intransigence of the UK government to end this immoral and discriminatory anomaly.
 

Furthermore, due to our campaign, Amanda Rishworth, the Member for Kingston intends to introduce into the House of Representatives a Private Members Bill seeking the support from the HoR members for a new reciprocal agreement  to be placed before the UK  government  The National Insurance money is there, all that is needed is the will to end this long suffering saga of denial imposed upon expatriate pensioners.