Army sent into nursing homes
Published 9 March 2022
It sounds like a noble thing to do: send in the army, but the deployment of the Australian Defence Force to prop up residential aged care has less to do with the COVID-19 pandemic than you would think.
Universal for some: specialist medical care
Published 9 March 2022
The old adage that some are more equal than others is on display in the way people access specialist medical care. A new report by the Grattan Institute suggests the Government needs to apply the scalpel to an unsavory part of the Australian universal health system. [more]
Are QR codes safe?
Published 9 March 2022
They have been around for almost 30 years, but COVID tracking has thrust Quick Response (QR) codes in the limelight. They are only just beginning to be widely used. Are they safe?
Readers respond: Pension Review
Published 9 March 2022
Previous VOICE posts on the urgent need for a pension review were read with approval by pensioners. Here is a selection of what readers had to say about the pension and the need for a pension review.
Make your vote a vote for a real pension review!
Published 2 March 2022
If you want a pension review, make sure you make your vote in the next federal election one that helps a pension review along. We give you five good reasons why you should.
Have health complaint, will travel: medical tourism
Published 2 March 2022
If you can't afford the medical or dental care you need in Australia, there's always overseas, but what does this say about the healthcare system in Australia?
Light, air and sunshine: Vienna the affordable housing example for Australia
Published 2 March 2022
One of the most affordable cities in the world for housing is ... Vienna! Unexpected perhaps with all its ornate palaces and history of royal enterprise, but the city is a shining example for not just other cities but also countries. [more]
Pension review to put housing in order
Published 23 February 2022
A pension review isn't worth the name if it doesn't review the shortcomings of housing policy in Australia.
Why Bitcoin is important to you
Published 23 February 2022
Maybe Bitcoin isn't so important but the technology that enables Bitcoin is. A look at blockchain.
How your funeral is not your funeral
Published 23 February 2022
Arranging a funeral is not rocket science but it can become needlessly stressful if the person doing the arranging doesn’t know what the person who died wanted.
When inflation spikes and the pension doesn’t
Published 16 February 2022
If indexation is so good at maintaining the purchasing power of the pension, why are pensioners complaining. Are they just whingers, or do they have a point?
Aged care: new Support at Home program
Published 16 February 2022
A new Support at Home Program will combine two old programs, but the question is: what should it look like. Small providers have an answer.
Bringing back the biff to aged care: provider wars
Published 16 February 2022
So often we talk about 'the aged care industry' and about 'providers' as if they are one block. It turns out there's some major internecine strife in 'the industry' and it's all about size.
Pension review needed before housing crisis gets worse
Published 9 February 2022
The pension is assumed to be adequate because it is assumed that pensioners are supported by a fourth pillar, social housing or home ownership, in addition to their pension, superannuation and other savings. But increasingly pensioners have the pension and nothing else. [more]
Business agrees: regional banks should not go
Published 9 February 2022
Older Australians living in the country are not the only ones up in arms about the loss of face-to-face banking services. Business is their ally.
Does home care need to come in levels?
Published 9 February 2022
Home Care Packages come at four levels, care needs come at many more levels. What's the answer?
Decline of regional banking, what’s the answer?
Published 2 February 2022
A quarter of all regional bank branches have closed and have not been replaced over the past five years, leaving many older Australians high and dry. The federal Government has launched an inquiry.
Pension Loans Scheme dies, long live the Home Equity Access Scheme!
Published 2 February 2022
Home equity release, also known as reverse mortgages, can be very tricky, whether they are provided by governments or the banks. The federal Government is going for a bigger share of the market!
Want help with navigating aged care?
Published 2 February 2022
Most people trying to access aged care, either for themselves or for a relative or friend, end up frustrated by the lack of help. The Aged Care Royal Commission identified the navigation of aged care as a major issue. A very minor initiative by the Government may provide some relief. [more]
Carer Allowance: you may be a carer and not know it
Published 15 December 2021
Centrelink pays a small fortnightly allowance to those who care for other people. It would be a shame to miss out just because you don't realise you're a carer. Here's how it works.
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