Private renters in crisis
Published 19 March 2019
THERE are more than 307,000 Age Pensioners in Australia who rent privately and receive Commonwealth Rent Assistance. More than a third of those (104,000) live in NSW, where they are five per cent of the two million or so private renters. [more]
Isn’t it time to kick BUPA out of the aged care industry?
Published 13 March 2019
Nine out of seventy Australian BUPA nursing homes are currently under sanctions. The question is: why is BUPA to allow to continue operating as an aged care provider at all?
CPSA’s evidence to the Aged Care Royal Commission
Published 28 February 2019
ON 12 February, CPSA gave evidence at the Aged Care Royal Commission for which it had called. Here are some of the main points canvassed during the examination. CPSA's witness statement and a transcript of CPSA's evidence are published on the Royal Commission's website. [more]
10,000 places but still no plan
Published 28 February 2019
ALTHOUGH there’s still no plan on how to fix the shocking shortage of aged care places, the Australian Government has thrown an additional $662 million at both residential aged care and the Home Care Packages program.
Banking Royal Commission: a disappointment after all
Published 28 February 2019
IT is ironic that the first consequence to flow from the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry was a massive financial services profit estimated at $22 million amid speculations about insider trading. [more]
Deeming rates and the veil of secrecy
Published 28 February 2019
IT is fairly straightforward to calculate your pension payment on the basis of what other income you have and how much you own in assets, but one thing remains shrouded in secrecy: the deeming rates used to calculate the imaginary money you earn on financial assets. [more]
No Australian Left Offline: ACCAN pushes for affordable broadband
Published 28 February 2019
THE price of communications is an ongoing stress for many older Australians. With broadband now an almost essential service to stay connected, it’s important that there is no Australian left offline because they can’t afford a service. [more]
CPSA’s 2019 Federal Budget Priorities
Published 28 February 2019
CPSA has set out its 2019 federal budget priorities in the areas of aged care, social service and health. These themes have been covered many times in THE VOICE so here is a bite-size version of CPSA’s submission.
NSW State Election 23 March 2019
Published 28 February 2019
THIS month New South Wales will hold a general parliamentary election. CPSA’s top-two issues are accessibility of train stations and social and affordable housing.
Griffith CPSA Wins Campaign for Mid-Week Train Service
Published 1 February 2019
FOR years, Griffith CPSA Branch had been campaigning relentlessly for the midweek Sydney to Griffith train service to be re-instated. Now it has finally paid off with a second service to start soon.
NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner is welcome move
Published 1 February 2019
THE NSW Government has announced that an independent Ageing and Disability Commissioner will be established in NSW to investigate the abuse of older people, and adults with a disability “in home and community settings”.
Age Pension becoming cheaper and cheaper
Published 1 February 2019
The Age Pension is actually starting to cost the Australian Government less. The Government acknowledges this is due to two factors. First, the pension age has gone up from 65 to 66 and will land at 67. Second, we are now beginning to see superannuation savings beginning to kick in. [more]
Pension Loans Scheme to be extended: beware the pitfalls
Published 1 February 2019
THE current Pension Loans Scheme provides a fortnightly top-up of retirement income for people of pension age who miss out on the pension because either their income or their assets (but not both!) are too high. It is also for part-rate pensioners. [more]
Home Care Packages program continues in crisis mode
Published 1 February 2019
IN December last year, the sixth Home Care Packages Program Data Report came out for the September 2018 quarter and it’s becoming something like a broken record.
Put an end to homelessness and housing stress!
Published 1 February 2019
A REPORT by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has found that Australia needs to triple its social housing stock over the next 20 years to cover both the existing backlog and newly emerging need.
Granny flat traps
Published 1 February 2019
NASTY things can happen if you’re not careful with granny flats. Legal complications, tax implications, granny flats are not for the faint-hearted.
Is the Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) dead and buried?
Published 1 February 2019
THAT question was asked by the NSW Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee inquiry into the Fire and Emergency Services Levy. The response of a senior NSW Treasury official was, “… the Treasurer is on record as saying that the FESL in its current form is dead, buried and cremated”. [more]
Get the best smoke alarm
Published 1 February 2019
SINCE 2006 smoke alarms have been mandatory in all buildings in NSW where people sleep. Most building fire fatalities occur when people are asleep and a correctly installed smoke alarm increases time available for safe escape, but smoke alarms ain’t smoke alarms. [more]
Superannuation: Work Test exemption signed into law
Published 1 February 2019
THE work test requires people between the ages of 65 and 74 to work a minimum of 40 hours during a period of 30 consecutive days to make voluntary, after-tax contributions to superannuation.
Super not so super: Productivity Commission
Published 1 February 2019
THE Productivity Commission’s final report Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness into the efficiency and competitiveness of the superannuation industry should be the blueprint for urgent superannuation reform in 2019. [more]
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