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New Zealand:
Elderly Want Politicians to Listen
By HELEN PICKERING, Timaru Herald
June 14, 2003 New
Zealand zone director, Timaru-based Les Howard, said yesterday the 12.5
per cent increase from TrustPower, combined with the Government's power
tax which Consumers' Institute boss David Russell said would cost
consumers $80 – the $40 tax plus power companies passing on to consumers
the cost of the new energy commission – meant married superannuitants
lost half their last increase. "Those
increases amount to $10 per fortnight. That is the increase received by
one partner. "Each
married partner received $10 extra a fortnight to cover cost increases
that incurred to October 31, 2002, and we received that on April 1, 2003. "We
were already five months behind and now we have to carry the burden of the
power price rises as well as other rises and we won't get paid for them
until April next year. "A
couple loses half their increase and now you can see why I am so worried. "That
is very hard for people reliant only on superannuation." Mr
Howard said Grey Power's membership was increasing because of the power
situation and it was determined to make the politicians take notice. One
option was to withdraw their volunteer services, but the most effective
way would be to get the politicians at the ballot box. "That's
the language they understand. "If
we changed the balance of power in Parliament that could be quite
interesting. "We
might vote for the electorate person we want and advise our members who to
give their party vote. "We
wouldn't tell them who to vote for, just advise them." Mr
Howard said Grey Power intended to monitor political parties closer to
election time and survey their views and how they were performing, and
then advise members which party it believed could change the balance of
Parliament. He said by evening out the distribution of power in Parliament to the right parties, making those parties closer in numbers, politicians would have to start listening to the people. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
