Premier Anna Bligh and Attorney-General Kerry Shine, who is also the Member of Parliament for Toowoomba North, have continually since February rejected requests to look into the rental residential industry targeting Age Pensioners in Queensland. There are at least five of these rental communities in Toowoomba. Here is the text of the appeal made to Bligh and Shine this weekend:
To:
> Premier Anna Bligh
>cc Phil Reeves MP, Parliamentary Secretary
> The Attorney General Kerry Shine, MP Toowoomba North
I can't believe that a Labor Premier and a Labor Attorney General, the State's chief law officer, can so blatently ignore requests for independent scrutiny of the rental residential industry targeting Age Pensioners. But you do ignore it.
Attached is the notification Toowoomba pensioners received today from The SCV Group Limited demanding, for the second time this year, all but $2.25 of the $15 increase in the Age Pension following the CPI increase of September 20.
You have been notified repeatedly of this automtic increase in rentals with the companies concerned not required by any legislated regulation to justify a corresponding increase in its operational costs.
What other landlord - particularly landlords for the aged - get two automatic increases in a year without any questioning? You evidently don't give a hoot.
Repeated messages to you both have failed to receive responses to the critical question of how the any substantial increase in the pension rate, as predicted, is not simply to flow to corporate landlords as has two CPI increases in a year.
There are dozens of Age Pensioners in Queensland and particularly in Toowoomba who are angered by your complete lack of interest. Do you wonder that your Government is increasingly on the nose. What's LABOR about it? - THE PARTY THAT'S SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR THE BATTLERS. You 're oblivious to the big proportion of the population aged over 65. You're taunting us to have a good think about why we should vote for you.
Signed: Hugh Bingham, Toowoomba, hughbingham@bigpond.com
Toowoomba and Darling Downs political and social commentary. Print copies of this newsletter may be ordered from Toowoomba's Office Works, phone 4699-5300
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Hugh Bingham
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About Hugh Bingham
Bingham is a career journalist with experience in State and Federal politics. He has been Editor of the Sunday Truth, the Sydney Sunday Mirror, Associate Editor of the Sydney Daily Mirror, and has reported overseas for The Australian.
In retirement he turned farmer in the Felton Valley, near Toowoomba, breeding Appaloosas and winning best foal and filly at the 1992 State championships.
Now 80, Bingham takes a keen interest in current affairs, especially politics and social issues. Bingham has tutored U3A groups as diverse as poetry, memoir writing, and classical music.
In retirement he turned farmer in the Felton Valley, near Toowoomba, breeding Appaloosas and winning best foal and filly at the 1992 State championships.
Now 80, Bingham takes a keen interest in current affairs, especially politics and social issues. Bingham has tutored U3A groups as diverse as poetry, memoir writing, and classical music.
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