What to make of a retirement income review that was touted as the mother of all retirement income reviews but then its final reports does not contain any recommendations?
It is now beyond ideology that the Commonwealth Rent Assistance is so low that even doubling it would do little to help low-income renters out of poverty. What does help?
A spokesperson for the Minister for Social Services has said there is "no plan" to force Age Pensioners onto the cashless debit card and that "any organisation spreading information to the contrary is simply fearmongering". The facts say different, and just so that you are absolutely clear, CPSA is not fearmongering.
The NSW Budget promised one hundred dollars' worth of vouchers on your smart phone to spend at hospitality venues, but it seems the Minister for Customer Services has not yet worked out how to give these vouchers to people who haven't got a smart phone.
The NSW Treasurer thinks he has found a painless way of replacing stamp duty with a land tax. Here's how it works and a few pitfalls for pensioners.
The NSW 2020-21 Budget papers seemed to suggest that the Government was adding another year to the Regional Seniors Travel Card program. On inquiry, this was confirmed by NSW Treasury, but this confirmation has turned out to be incorrect.
The NSW COVID-19 Budget brings a lot less social housing to the state than needed, but there are some good things as well.
The NSW Customer Services Minister put out a media release on QR codes which said that effectively smart phones would be mandatory if you wanted to go for a coffee somewhere. When that was reported, the media release changed!
The University of Technology is doing research on how Age Pensioners cope with energy costs and is asking age pensioners to make themselves available for interview.
Will the pension go up in March next year or won't it? Difficult to say, but looking at inflation and cost-of-living numbers for the September 2020 quarter, it might.
Would it be it right for the Australian Government to be fast tracking personal income and corporate tax cuts costing $50 billion while increasing GST and introducing land tax for all? Yes, says the International Monetary Fund.
Insurance is for unlikely or rare mishaps, and insurance companies make money because most people who insure themselves will never claim. But everyone will need a funeral eventually, so how can funeral insurance be big business in Australia?
COVID-19 is fast developing into the new the-dog-ate-my-homework excuse. Even the Department of Health's Medical Cost Finder website has succumbed to the a virus that is a procrastinator's dream.
The NSW Regional Seniors Transport Card is worth $250 a year but you have to live regionally. The NSW Government's approach compared with the Australian Bureau of Statics' approach to what constitutes 'regional' produces some interesting results.
Informal carers of people moving into a nursing home can keep living in their house as a "protected person", but just how protected is protected?
Counsel Assisting the Aged Care Royal Commission have made their final submissions, making a raft of recommendations that would bring aged care in Australia up to scratch if implemented. Full implementation rather than watered-down implementation will be the next battle-ground for aged care advocates.
Despite protestations that Age Pensioners will not be put on income management compulsorily, draft legislation before Parliament does exactly that. Age Pensioners in what is currently the Cape York trial area could soon find they have no option.
The Australian Government's Medical Costs Finder website is so conspicuously inadequate as a consumer information tool, you're left wondering if it's intentional. It is certain, though, that throwing another $17 million at it will not make it fit for purpose.
Granny flat arrangements can go horribly wrong and when they do, older people can be literally left homeless. A new Capital Gains Tax exemption encourages formal granny flat agreements, which can do much to protect older people and people with disabilities living in granny flats
Malnutrition is slow killer of older people inside and outside nursing homes. It's a good idea to make sure your diet keeps you as healthy and fit as possible.