Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor has launched a series of community forums outlining Budget changes affecting retirees and pensioners.

Mr Taylor held forums in Cowra and Grenfell yesterday. Close to 100 people attended the forum at Cowra’s Wesley Centre, more than 50 people attended a similar event at Grenfell Uniting Church Hall.

“Forums like these are invaluable. They give me a good sense of what the issues are and what I should focus on. Much of what we discussed is relevant to all over 50 year olds across Hume.

“I am keen to stress that policy changes announced in the Budget - on aged care, on health care and on welfare payments such as the Aged Pension – are only the start of the public discussion.

“There will be many opportunities for the community to join the discussion as we head toward the next election. I am listening to what the community has to say and to any disagreements people may have with Budget proposals.

“I will make my general position clear though at the outset – that we have no choice about paying back our national debt; we will not leave this debt to our children and grandchildren. We have to work out ways of better using public money. Having said this, we must continue to look after our most vulnerable. Australians have an acute sense of fairness and we will always look after those who cannot look after themselves.”

Mr Taylor emphasised there would be no changes to the Aged Pension before the next federal election.

“There is also some concern amongst elderly residents, particularly in rural areas, that if their job involves manual labour, they may not be able to physically work beyond 65. I was able to reassure people that a proposed retirement age of 70 would not come into effect until 2035 and if and when it did, those unable to work to 70 would be able to access the disability support pension.

“There were questions about a GP co-payment. I outlined to participants yesterday that our health expenditure is growing at an alarming rate of almost 10 percent a year, three times faster than the growth of our tax revenue, and we need policies to rein in the costs. The proposed GP co-payment is a sensible way forward.”

Asked about delays in getting a number of Budget measures through the Senate, he said: “There is one good outcome from these delays. We are having an in-depth and ongoing conversation with the Australian people about the right ways and the wrong ways to pay back the debt.”

Mr Taylor will be holding forums in Boorowa and Harden early next month.