The Coalition’s second budget comes at the expense of older Australians, says National Seniors.

The 2015 federal budget slashes $2.4 billion from pensions; cuts over $50 million from aged care; and shifts to a single general pool 2014’s flagship mature age employment subsidy.

It even ditches a small wound management scoping study for the frail elderly announced in 2013.

“Pensions are being slashed to the tune of $2 billion, without corresponding reforms in other areas,” said National Seniors chief executive Michael O’Neill.

“The downgrading of vital mature age employment initiatives suggests there’s no plan for seniors beyond cutting their pensions”.

“Older Australians are bearing the brunt of budget cuts, and they have every right to be disappointed”.

“To ensure fairness, any changes in the pension must be done within a clearly articulated retirement income strategy that also considers the interplays of tax and superannuation”.

“Announcing pension cuts, without first convincing retirees of their merits, is likely to backfire within the electorate,” said O’Neill.

National Seniors’ research released last week shows that the over-45s informally contribute $65 billion a year to the economy.

“Older Australians are looking after grandkids, volunteering in hospitals and helping their children into their first homes – they’re lifters not leaners,” he said.

Key seniors budget measures include:

• Age pension assets test significantly tightened from 2017, saving $2.4 billion (approx. $1 billion a year);
• Shifting the mature age Restart Allowance into a single wage subsidy pool for all workers – employers to access it in 12 months instead of two years;
• Reducing from 26 weeks to six weeks the period age pensioners who’ve lived in Australia for less than 35 years from age 16 can be overseas before their pensions are cut (savings of $168.6 million from 2017);
• Extending increases in the PBS safety net threshold announced in 2014 budget by another year. Saves government an additional $5.1 million. Will take consumers longer to access medicines at concessional rates;
• Tens of millions cut in aged care through streamlined services and means testing;
• $73.7 million to better deliver Home Care through a central aged care gateway;
• Shingles vaccine for 70-year-olds, and a five year catch-up program.