Superannuation changes pass the Parliament
Last week the Coalition Government secured parliamentary passage of the most comprehensive suite of superannuation reforms in a decade. This delivers on our commitment to improve the fairness, sustainability, flexibility and integrity of the superannuation system.
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With our Federal Budget currently under pressure, this saving measure will improve the underlying cash balance by $2.8 billion over the forward estimates.
Ninety-six per cent of individuals with superannuation will either not be affected by these changes or will be better off. The majority of the 4 per cent of individuals that are adversely affected by these changes are unlikely to rely on the Age Pension in retirement.
The passage of the package will make it possible for Australians to manage their superannuation and plan their retirement with certainty. It will also provide certainty for the superannuation industry, allowing it to implement the reforms by 1 July 2017.
Further details on the Government’s superannuation reform package are available at www.treasury.gov.au/superreforms
10 year milestone for Mobile Service Centres
November marks 10 years since the first Australian Government Mobile Service Centre hit the road to visit regional communities with limited access to government services.
First launched as a converted Winnebago in 2006, the service has since evolved into a pair of sleek, high-tech, nationally touring mobile offices equipped to deliver the same Centrelink and Medicare services as any other Department of Human Services Service Centre.
Over the past decade these Mobile Service Centres have covered almost 700,000 kilometres, helped over 120,000 customers, visited more than 3800 towns and been deployed to 20 disaster situations.
Minister for Human Services, Alan Tudge, said the 10 year milestone was a fabulous achievement for the well-loved travelling outreach service that for the past decade has been a touchstone to government support for Australians living in regional and rural areas.
A mobile service centre always generates a lot of business when it pulls up in local towns across the Parkes electorate. Along with the usual Centrelink and Medicare services, we’ve also seen a lot of interest in recent years from people wanting help to sign-up to and use online self-service options like myGov.
For more information and itineraries visit humanservices.gov.au/mobileoffice
Moree’s Rabbit Hop Films finalist for Regional Online Heroes
I was delighted to hear that Rabbit Hop Films from Moree is one of only 10 successful finalists from around Australia in this year’s Regional Online Heroes programme.
The competition, run by the Regional Australia Institute and Google Australia, aims to uncover and promote regional Australia’s most innovative, connected and growing small and medium-sized enterprises.
Rabbit Hop Films was founded by Sascha Estens and is based out of Moree in the heart of cotton and wheat country. It is an independent film production company dedicated to telling stories about the country and the people who live in it. They tell stories through corporate profile videos, TVCs, music film clips, documentaries, social media, commercial property tours, experiential and event videos for a broad range of start-up, corporate and non-for-profit organisations.
Sascha’s business has emerged as a much-loved vehicle for showcasing rural Australia ensuring their voices are strong in the ever-evolving online world of social media and film.
I wish Sascha all the best in Sydney next week.
