Home
The Things We Do

News
Indexation Information
Military Super Review

State Contacts
Membership
    - Why join now
    - Brochure
Latest Update
    - Update Archive
Camaraderie Excerpts
Activities
Purpose & Policy
Representations
Trust Fund
Widows' Issues
Links
Disclaimer
Email Us

NEWS

The issues revolve around an employer’s long term responsibilities for the occupational health and safety of employees.

DFWA Budget Response (added 14-05-08)
"The Budget - Sort of OK as far as it goes for Service Personnel"

DFWA’s pre-Budget statement on the indexation of military retirement pensions  (added 3-05-08)

Letter from CDF  (added 24-04-08)
A response to the combined DFWA and RSL response to the Review of Military Superannuation has been received from the CDF. Click here for the CDF's letter.

Cost of Living Pressures  (added 24-04-08)
On 20 March, the Senate Community Affairs Committee, in the report of its inquiry into Cost of living pressures on older Australians, recommended immediate action by the Government to “index Commonwealth funded superannuation benefits and the military pension to Male Total Average Weekly Earnings or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is the higher, as is currently the practice with the age pension.”

Response to the Discussion Paper on the Consultative Forum (CF) for the Family Study Program (FSP) and the Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study (VVFS) (added 27-03-08)
DFWA was requested to comment on a discussion paper circulated by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs regarding the formation of Consultative Forums on the Family Study Programs and the Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study. DFWA’s response can be read here.

Combined Response (added 19-03-08)
DFWA and the RSL have submitted a combined response to the Report of the Review of Military Superannuation which was released on 24 December 2007. The detailed response, which has been endorsed by the 12 major Ex-Service Organisations, is here, the covering letter from DFWA and the RSL to the Review Team is here, and the associated media release is here.

ACPSRO, the peak public sector retiree body, has provided comments on the Ex-Service Organisations’ response.  (added 19-03-08)

The Review Team has provided its answers to the questions posed in DFWA’s media release of 28 February. Those answers will now be considered in consultation with the RSL in formulating our agreed response to the report.  (added 6-03-08)

Report of the Review into Military Superannuation Arrangements -  interim response indicating some of the areas of current concern which are being addressed by a joint RSL-DFWA working group.  The group will be meeting with the Review Team to address these and other technical issues, before finalising a full response on behalf of the major ex-service organisations.  (added 28-02-08)

Pre-Budget Submission of the Defence Force Welfare Association (added 20-01-08)

This includes these recommended Budget policy initiatives:

• Indexation of all military pensions using the general community standard of “the higher of MTAWE or CPI” as the indexation rate, to maintain the relative living standards of pensioners;

• Adjustment of the provisions of “Better Super” affecting military retirement and disability pensions;

• Immediate adoption of up to date Life Expectancy Tables for DFRDB commutation arrangements and restoration of the full DFRDB pension after repayment of the lump sum commutation amount for existing DFRDB pension recipients;

• Adjustments to Defence widows’ pensions indexation arrangements;

• Adjustments to War Widows’ pension offsetting provisions;

• Adjustments to offsetting arrangements for special rate disability pensions under MRCS

Full Report of the Review into Military Superannuation Arrangements (published 24-12-07)

Parliamentary Library Research Paper:  Military superannuation - myths and reality (published 10-1-08)  

ABC Interview: National Vice President - Retirement Benefits, Bryan Wilson, was recently interviewed by the ABC presenter Jaqui McKay about the indexation of military pensions. The 5 minute interview went to air on the ABC Capricornia QLD Breakfast Show on 14 November.  Bryan clearly explains the need for a change in the method of indexation of military and public service pensions from CPI to the higher of CPI and Male Total Average Weekly Earnings. More than 193,000 military and public service retirees have been severely disadvantaged.  (added 5-12-07)

DFWA Press Statement re Coalition and ALP Defence and Veterans' Policies provides DFWA’s views, comments and suggested questions for the media derived from the major parties’ announced policies for serving and former ADF personnel and veterans (added 15-11-07)

Reinstatement of Widows' Pensions  (added 20-10-07)

            Ms Anna Condemi
            ComSuper
            DFRDB Scheme
            PO Box 22
               Belconnen 2616
           Tel:       02 6272 9424

Applicants who apply before 1 January 2008 will have their pensions restored from 1 January 2008 but if they apply after that date their pensions will commence from the date of their application.

Press Statement  - "Forgotten Veterans" - Taxation Treatment of Permanently Incapacitated Service Personnel (added 14-10-07)

Press Statement  - response to the announcement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs Bruce Billson on indexation of war widows pensions
(added 22-09-07)

Indexation - "Erosion of Military Pensions" (added 19-09-07)

Press Statement  - response to the Prime Minister's announcement on disability pensions (added 12-09-07)

Press Statement  - response to ALP's announcements on indexation of disabled veterans' and war widows' pensions. (added 12-09-07)

Press Statement  on the taxation of MSBS lump sums. Readers should be aware that the Assistant Treasurer later confirmed that the Government will be amending the relevant regulations. (added 5-09-07)

Press Statement Vietnam Veteran Family Study: response to announcement by the Minister for Veteran’s Affairs.  (added 5-09-07)

Townsville Vietnam Veterans Day Address (added 5-09-07)

The battle of Long Tan was commemorated at many ceremonies last month and the Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA) believes that the address given by Brigadier George Mansford (Retired) at the Townsville Ceremony carries two important messages for all current serving members.

From the perspective of the DFWA it says, firstly, that you belong to an organisation that is a world leader in the profession of arms and that you should be proud of it and, secondly, if you do not pay attention to your conditions of service now – and how they are carried on into your future – you will find it virtually impossible to change things in the years ahead.

The Townsville Bulletin reported the event and the story, with a photo, is on their website at http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/08/20/5734_hpnews.html

Press Statement on the indexation of TPI pensions (added 14-08-07)

 Submission by ESOs to politicians following a meeting of National Presidents on 13 August 2007 (added 14-08-07)

 Draft letter to the Prime Minister re indexation of pensions (added 26-07-07)

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry into cost of living pressures on older Australians (added 24-07-07)

Explains why simple CPI indexation does not maintain the living standards of military pensioners.

Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration's Inquiry into the provisions of the Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill 2007  (added 29-6-07)

Focus is on the long awaited reduction to 3 years of the qualifying period for the reversionary spouse benefit pension.

Press Release from National Office re Indexation of Pensions (added 23-6-07)

"Servicemen Super Suckers - All Australian ex-service men and women who depend on military superannuation are about to be advised that their anticipated half-yearly pension increase will not happen."

Younger Veterans in Residential Care – ESO Support Program (added 7-6-07)

 With support from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), a number Ex-Service Organisations (ESOs) in Victoria have formalised an agreement to work together to support younger veterans living in, or needing to be admitted to, residential care.

 This initiative recognises that, although the numbers are not large, in certain situations some younger veterans (those 65 years of age and under) with special needs, require a level of care that cannot be provided in the community. 

 The primary aims of the group of ESOs are to support the younger veteran and his / her family through the process accessing care services, and to ensure that care providers understand the special care needs of younger veterans and their families.

 Download a brochure to provide further information about this program, including contact details and referral form.

Public Sector Superannuation (added 31-5-07)

The linked graph of Public sector superannuation liability  released in Budget Paper No. 1 on 8 May was the basis of an article in the Australian Financial Review on 11 May which claimed that unfunded Defence superannuation liabilities were blowing out enormously and would strain future budgets.

The facts are as stated in SCOA’s Letter to the Editor . RDFWA members should draw on the facts contained in SCOA’s letter to quash any arguments they may hear that are based on the original Fin Review article.

Press Statement from National Office re 2007-08 Budget Response
 (added 16-5-07)

Press Statement  ALP Veterans' Policy Announcement Supported
(added 9-5-07)

Submission to the Military Superannuation Review by the National Office and associated detailed Submission by NSW Branch (added 30-3-07)

The submissions focus on those issues that relate to:

• Older schemes – DFRB and DFRDB – specific deficiencies and argument for their correction;
• Present scheme – MSBS;
• Future military superannuation; and
• Issues arising from the introduction of the Government’s “Simple Super” taxation arrangements.

RDFWA Submission to Senate FAD&T Committee Inquiry on Peacekeeping (added 19-3-07)

Media Release from National Office re Simpler Super (added 14-2-07)

Taxation Laws Amendment (Simplified Superannuation) Bills Inquiry RDFWA Submission (added 21-1-07)

This letter to  the Senate Economics Committee, dated 11 January 2007, contains a summary of the 1 August 2006 RDFWA Submission to Treasury. The RDFWA has represented the points in that Submission to the service chiefs and a number of parliamentarians.

Media Release from National Office re Simpler Super (added 17-12-06)

THE TREASURER TURNS HIS BACK ON AUSTRALIA’S ARMED SERVICES

“The decision by the Howard Government not to make separate provision for serving defence force personnel in its new Superannuation taxation scheme is deplorable,” the National President of the RDFWA, Commodore Harry Adams, said today.

Taxation treatment of invalidity pensions - submission by Colin Wade (added 24-10-06)

In his submission to A Plan for a Simpler Super Colin Wade recommends that:

"The proposed superannuation plan incorporate amendment to  taxation and superannuation legislation to enable all invalidity pension payments for recipients medically discharged from the ADF as a result of disabilities caused or aggravated by military service and in receipt of tax exempt VEA or MCRS benefits to be:

1. tax exempt from the recipient’s date of medical discharge;

2. tax exempt for recipients over the age of 60; or

3. tax exempt for severely disabled recipients whose incapacity is determined to be permanent earlier than age 60,  from the date of cessation of incapacity classification reviews."

The complete submission is available at:

Colin Wade_Superannuation_Submission_medical_discharge_issues.pdf