Posted on behalf on Max

The current rate of pension paid to single pensioners is $873.90 a fortnight and to a member of a married couple is $658.70 a fortnight (combined a married couple receives $1317.40 a fortnight).

I wish to point out that where you have to singles or two people living in a de-facto relationship who are each claiming the single pension receive a combined payment of $1747.80 a fortnight.  This is a difference of $430.40 a fortnight more than the married couple. 

I have discussed this with Centrelink and the answer I got from them was that two people can live cheaper than one, but when I said that is not right they didn't want to discuss the matter. 

My argument is why should two singles living in the same home receive $215.40 each more than the married couple. This is in my opinion blatant discrimination against married couples by the Federal Government of the day and Centrelink. 

I am coming up on 80 yearsof age and I will go to my grave fighting for married couples to each receive the single rate of pension.   

I mentioned above that Centrelink seems to think that two people (married couple) can live cheaper than two singles in the same home.  As we all know that is not the case as they have to buy twice as much food etc and in many cases they are each on multiple medications and need to have different foods.

At the moment married couples on the aged pension are not much better off than a person on the dole who receives around $540.00 a fortnight, and most on the dole have never worked or paid taxes, and probably never will and will finish up on the single aged pension.

To put it bluntly I worked until I was almost 76 years of age and supported my wife and I feel that we are entitled to the same rights as the person on the single age pension. 

Do you agree with Max?