More than 100 community groups want Government to reconsider 'harsh' budget cuts

Updated

Federal MPs are set to face renewed calls to dump contentious budget cuts to social security measures as community sector leaders converge on Parliament House in Canberra today.

More than 100 organisations from around the country have signed a statement protesting the "unnecessary and harsh proposals" put forward by the Coalition Government in its May 13 budget.

They have called on MPs to reject several measures, including changes to the pension age and payment rates, cuts to family payments, and reductions and cuts to unemployment benefits for young people.

"We do not accept that these measures are necessary to achieve budget sustainability when fairer alternatives exist," the statement said.

"Our Parliament has a choice between harmful and helpful action.

"We urge all elected members of Parliament to reject current proposals which will reduce support to low income and disadvantaged members of our community."

The budget measures are worth billions of dollars and some of them have missed their original July 1 start date because of a lack of support in the Senate.

Clive Palmer, the leader of the Palmer United Party (PUP) which holds crucial balance-of-power votes in the Senate, has said he would not support changes to the pension.

Yesterday, he declared another key budget measure — the $7 GP co-payment fee — was "dead" and "finished".

But the Government insisted the policy was still a live option and that discussions behind closed doors were much more positive.

Topics: budget, community-and-society, federal-government, federal-parliament, government-and-politics, welfare, parliament-house-2600, australia, canberra-2600

First posted