The Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Federation of Australia has called on the ALP to divert some of their funding announcement for Veterans’ funerals into addressing the inequity in TPI compensation payments, to bring those payments up to parity with the Gross Minimum Wage (GMW).
TPI Federation President, Ms Pat McCabe OAM, said Labor leader Bill Shorten’s announcement yesterday of $118 million to assist Veterans’, which included some funding for some Veterans, with their funeral costs was welcome.
“But what about helping TPI Veterans when they are still alive and struggling to support themselves and their families on the current TPI payments of 63% of the Minimum Wage,” Ms McCabe said.
“These Veterans have served their country and suffered as a result of that Service. Now is the time to support them while they are alive and trying to make ends meet, hamstrung by their disability.”
Mr Shorten said that Labor’s investment will mean all Veterans – no matter what conflict they served in – will receive the same funeral benefits as their peers. For some, this will mean an additional $10,000 in support for their families at one of the toughest times of their lives.
“We are calling on Government and Opposition parties and candidates to recognise, and address, this glaring inequity in compensation payments to our Defence Force Veterans who are left unable to work and provide for their families as a result of their Service,” Ms McCabe said.
“TPI Veterans – including WW2 Veterans now in their 90s and disabled Veterans from a range of other conflicts – are only receiving 63% of the gross minimum wage as compensation for not being able to work, due to their Service caused incapacities. This fails the community’s basic minimum wage benchmark.”
The TPI payment is made up of two compensation components – pain and suffering, and economic loss. While the pain and suffering component has remained stable, the economic loss compensation component has eroded to such an extent that it only rates at approximately 63% of the gross minimum wage.
After lobbying the Government for 6.5 years on this issue, TPI Veterans remain at a considerable disadvantage as a consequence.
“TPI Veterans have been left permanently disabled as a result of their Service for Australia, yet by no fault of their own, they find themselves receiving well below the minimum wage for their economic loss compensation while trying to live a normal life for themselves and their families,” Ms McCabe said.
“The nation’s 28,000 TPIs urgently require a restoration in compensation to restore a Veterans’ minimum standard of living. That is only fair and is the right thing to do.”
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