The 2014 budget introduced changes to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) including:
- The budget confirmed that "age and disability pensions will fall behind wages growth from 2017 after they are instead linked to inflation" [1].
- Changes to indexation were implemented, switching from male average earnings to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which typically grows more slowly [2].
- The 2014 budget included significant welfare changes affecting disability recipients, as part of broader "structural savings" [3].
**TRUE** - The government introduced changes to DSP portability:
- Schedule 5 of the 2014 budget legislation introduced a change "to limit the overseas portability period for disability support pension to 28 days in a 12-month period from 1 January 2015" [4].
- This meant DSP recipients could only receive payments while overseas for a maximum of 28 days (4 weeks) in any 12-month period [4].
- Previously, DSP recipients had more generous portability provisions [5].
**TRUE** - Tony Abbott explicitly promised "no changes to pensions" before the 2013 election:
- On the eve of the September 2013 federal election, Tony Abbott promised: "No changes to pensions" [1].
- The SMH documented this as one of several broken promises, noting: "Tuesday's budget confirmed age and disability pensions will fall behind wages growth from 2017" [1].
- The ABC confirmed Abbott's pre-election statement that "no-one's fortnightly pension or benefit will go down" was contradicted by the 2014 budget changes [3].
The government did not implement all possible cuts - they "hasn't touched the National Disability Insurance Scheme" and did not include the family home in assets tests as recommended by the Commission of Audit [3].
**The Guardian Australia** (one of the original sources): Media Bias/Fact Check rates The Guardian as "left-center" biased with "mixed" factual reporting.
The Guardian article cited in the claim focuses on the negative impacts of welfare changes, which aligns with its editorial perspective [7].
**The Conversation**: A nonprofit academic journalism platform with generally high credibility.
Its infographic comparing promises to budget measures provides factual documentation of the discrepancies.
**Pro Bono Australia**: A social sector news outlet focused on nonprofit and community sector issues.
其 qí 将 jiāng 承诺 chéng nuò 与 yǔ 预算 yù suàn 措施 cuò shī 进行 jìn xíng 比较 bǐ jiào 的 de 信息 xìn xī 图 tú 提供 tí gōng 了 le 差异 chā yì 的 de 事实 shì shí 记录 jì lù 。 。
**YES - Labor also made significant disability welfare changes:**
1. **Rudd/Gillard Governments (2007-2013)**: The Labor government made substantial changes to disability policy.
Academic analysis notes "radical reconfiguration of disability policy" occurred under the preceding Howard government, and the Rudd government maintained both "continuities and changes" in disability policy administration [8].
2. **Disability Pension History**: Research on Australian disability policy shows that both major parties have historically adjusted eligibility criteria based on economic and fiscal circumstances.
The Howard government (1996-2007) made particularly "contentious and dramatic changes to disability policy" [8].
3. **Gillard Government NDIS**: While expanding disability support through the NDIS (which began rollout under Gillard), Labor also implemented cost-containment measures in other welfare areas.
4. **Historical Context**: Disability pension tightening has been a bipartisan approach when governments face budget pressures.
The claim's framing suggests this was unique to the Coalition, but budgetary constraints on welfare have been addressed by governments of both persuasions.
The Coalition government argued that:
- The budget faced a structural deficit that required difficult decisions [2]
- Pension indexation changes were necessary for long-term fiscal sustainability [3]
- The changes were relatively modest (starting 2017, not immediate) [1]
- They preserved core disability support structures (NDIS untouched) [3]
Opponents argued:
- The changes broke explicit election promises [1][3]
- The shift from wages-based to CPI indexation would gradually erode pension real value
- The 28-day overseas limit disadvantaged DSP recipients with family connections abroad
- The burden fell disproportionately on vulnerable populations [2]
- - 他们 tā men 保留 bǎo liú 了 le 核心 hé xīn 残疾 cán jí 支持 zhī chí 结构 jié gòu ( ( 未 wèi 触动 chù dòng NDIS NDIS ) ) [ [ 3 3 ] ]
While the claim is factually accurate, it lacks historical context.
### ### 批评者 pī píng zhě 回应 huí yìng
Australian governments of both major parties have adjusted welfare eligibility when facing fiscal pressures.
反对者 fǎn duì zhě 认为 rèn wéi : :
The Coalition's 2014 changes were:
- More significant in scale than some Labor adjustments
- Particularly notable due to the explicit pre-election promise
- Part of a broader pattern of budget repair attempts
**Key context:** This WAS a broken promise, and the factual claims about tightening eligibility and overseas travel restrictions are accurate.
- - 改革 gǎi gé 违背 wéi bèi 了 le 明确 míng què 的 de 选举 xuǎn jǔ 承诺 chéng nuò [ [ 1 1 ] ] [ [ 3 3 ] ]
However, welfare adjustments are a standard feature of Australian budget management across both parties, though the Coalition's explicit promise made their changes more politically significant.
The Coalition government did break an election promise by tightening disability pension eligibility (through indexation changes) and did introduce the 28-day overseas travel limitation for DSP recipients.
The Coalition government did break an election promise by tightening disability pension eligibility (through indexation changes) and did introduce the 28-day overseas travel limitation for DSP recipients.