A CLEVELAND pensioner is ready to take on the state government over plans to jack up his public housing rent by taking an extra $15 out of his fortnightly pension.
Tom McKennariey, who receives federal Disability Support Pension and a Pension Supplement, said the state plan to take 25 per cent of his income as rent was “unfair”.
The change would include adding to his income his $78.70 a fortnight Pension Supplement, currently exempt from calculations.
Every fortnight, Mr McKennariey receives a federal Disability Support Pension of about $751.70 of which about $186.80 goes to the state government as rent for living in public housing.
Under the new rental calculations, which will start after a July rental review, Mr McKennariey would be hit with paying $22 extra a fortnight after his Pension Supplement was included in the rental payments.
However, the state capped the rental increases this year at $15.
But rental increases of $15 a year will continue annually until Mr McKenneirey is paying the full 25per cent of his income in rent to the state government.
“From 2009 to now our Pension Supplement has always been exempt from total income when calculating the rent for tenants of Queensland Public Housing,” he said.
“Now the LNP state government is going to take 25 per cent off the pension supplement and add it to the rent of all pensioners living in public housing.
“The Housing Minister said this was a fair and simple way to calculate our rent - it might be simple but it’s not fair.
“Just because someone lives in public housing doesn’t mean a government can do what it likes to their income.”
The Pension Supplement will not be the only payment to be deducted under the new scheme, which will include all Centrelink, Department of Veterans Affairs and child support payments.