‘Early compo’ set for pockets

By Cherie Donnellan
EARLY cash payments to offset “the price on carbon” will begin appearing in thousands of local bank accounts next week, a Labor MP has announced.
Federal Member for Corangamite Darren Cheeseman said families would start receiving lump sum payments next Friday.
Families on Family Tax Benefit Part A would receive one-off payments of up to $110 a child, others on Part B would receive up to $69.
Mr Cheeseman said money for people on pensions, including carers and the disabled, would follow.
People on Centrelink assistance including Newstart, youth allowance and ABSTUDY would begin receiving payments in June, he said.
Self-funded retirees would reap a lump sum payment by the end of June.
“It’s money in people’s pockets to help with the cost of living when the carbon tax is implemented,” Mr Cheeseman said.
“We’re delivering the things promised in our budget.”
Mr Cheeseman said about $17 million in carbon tax assistance packages would go to low and middle-income families in the region before July 1.
But Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson lashed Labor’s bonus as “inadequate compensation using borrowed money to try to sell a bad tax based on a lie”.
“Cash splashed by Darren Cheeseman and Labor into some bank accounts today won’t mask the pain from Labor’s toxic carbon tax.
“This compensation will not be enough to cover the cost of living rises caused by the carbon tax.”
Mr Ronaldson said one-off payments would fail to cover rising expenses under the carbon tax, Mr Ronaldson said.
“More and more families will be increasingly worse off.”
Mr Ronaldson said the money would be “cold comfort” to Geelong workers set to “lose their jobs as a result of this toxic tax”.