I write on behalf of the Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition of which the Federation of Greek Australian pensioner clubs – some 100 with over 20,00 members, and the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, are affiliated with, to seek your support in facilitating a meeting with the Premier of Victoria [Daniel Andrews] as soon as possible.
The pensioners we represent depend entirely or mostly on government pensions and relief for the unbearable costs of electricity, gas, water and council rates from the state government’s utility concessions. They are overwhelmingly migrants and other veterans of the work force and of the labour movement who were not able to join the superannuation funds.
Our claims for a substantial increase in utility concessions to make up for unprecedented price increases several times above the cost of living have been submitted to the state government and regretfully we have been given the run around.
Our members believe a meeting with the premier, the first one since he became premier, is not too much to ask and to expect a commitment of redress if not in the May budget but most certainly as an election policy. Hopefully this can be achieved with your intervention.
In friendship,
George Zangalis
* George Zangalis is vice-president of the Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition and Greek Australian Pensioner Clubs representative on FGFPC.
