Treasurer assures a pension age rise is not on the agenda

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg insists a review into the nation's retirement income system is not aimed at reviving a lift in the pension age.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Source: AAP

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has assured Australians the review of the nation's retirement income system won't result in a lift in the pension age.

On Friday, Mr Frydenberg announced a sweeping review that will examine superannuation, asset ownership and the age pension.

Asked if lifting the pension age to 70 was back on the cards, the treasurer said: "No, it's not."
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is moving to squash speculation of a rise in the pension age.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is moving to squash speculation of a rise in the pension age. Source: AAP
"What we're focusing on is again developing an evidence based approach to future policy decisions," he told reporters in Melbourne after attending the AFL final breakfast.

"We haven't changed our position, the position still remains."

Back in September 2018, a newly installed prime minister Scott Morrison dumped a plan to raise the pension age to 70, a proposal that had been put forward by former treasurer Joe Hockey in his controversial 2014 budget.

The review has been expected since the Productivity Commission recommended it in a report released earlier this year.
Under the terms of reference, the review will look at the interaction between the age pension, compulsory superannuation and voluntary savings including home ownership.

There is pressure from a rump of Liberal backbench MPs to scrap the legislated increase in the compulsory superannuation guarantee from 9.5 to 12 per cent.

But Mr Frydenberg insists the government has no plans to abandon the incremental increases to 12 per cent by 2025, starting with a rise to 10 per cent in 2021.

This schedule was already delayed seven years by Mr Hockey from an original plan made by Labor.

Mr Frydenberg said the government's aim is to not only put more money into the pockets of hard working Australians, but also retired and senior Australians

"It was Labor who took to the election a retirees tax which was going to punish senior Australians, particularly those who had provision for their own retirement," he said in reference to Labor's proposal to scrap the franking credits regime.


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Published 28 September 2019 1:32pm
Updated 28 September 2019 2:32pm


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