Australia’s first Ageing and Disability Commissioner
Published 22 July 2019
NSW is the first jurisdiction in which an Office of Ageing and Disability Commissioner has been established. Other states and territories would do well to follow NSW’s lead.
Will new rules keep energy retailers in line?
Published 22 July 2019
Energy companies, once the stodgiest but most reliable companies in Australia, joined the ranks of corporate spivs and rip-off merchants some years ago. Will the latest initiative by the ACCC reign them in?
Are you embedded electricity-wise?
Published 22 July 2019
An embedded supply system sounds kind of exciting, but it's only water, gas and electricity we're talking about. How exciting or otherwise are embedded systems?
Here’s how to self-manage your externally self-managed super
Published 22 July 2019
Self-managed super has flourished as a result of action taken by millions of Australians who were determined not to be ripped off by the financial sector. But how badly do people really want to self-manage their super? Are they now being ripped off by accountants, auditors and unsavoury financial planners? Enter industry fund HostPlus. [more]
Find your rebates and discounts!
Published 26 June 2019
THE NSW Government is now helping you find rebates and savings that are relevant to you. Service NSW has rolled out its Cost of Living service, which can identify which of the 70 rebates and savings you are eligible for.
Save on energy with NSW Energy Switch
Published 26 June 2019
ENERGY Switch is a free Service NSW online tool that allows you to compare the electricity and gas plans of all NSW household electricity providers, and switch effortlessly to a different plan if you want to.
Bupa Traralgon Class Action
Published 26 June 2019
BUPA aged care is in trouble. Eleven out of 76 are currently the subject of compliance action and a further 19 have been the subject of compliance action in recent times.
Aged care: is a blunt instrument being sharpened?
Published 26 June 2019
How much does it cost to look after a nursing home resident given their health and needs? The current system comes up with a figure, but nobody really knows what it is based on. Time to change from a blunt funding instrument to a sharp one. [more]
Regional Transport Seniors Card: $250
Published 26 June 2019
STARTING on 1 January 2020, the Regional Transport Seniors Card will provide a credit of $250 a year to be used towards fuel, taxi fares in rural and regional NSW and pre-booked NSW TrainLink train and coach services.
Government sets itself up for unreal retirement income review
Published 26 June 2019
WHAT is the point of a review of how the pension, superannuation and tax interact when you say upfront that you are not going to change superannuation and you're not going to change tax?
NBN: landline phone only options
Published 26 June 2019
YOU are going to have to engage with the NBN if you want to keep your good old-fashioned home telephone. That old telephone will run through the NBN internet network, whether you have a computer or not.
Digital life after death
Published 26 June 2019
WHAT happens to our online accounts when we die? With so much information and transaction being online these days, you want to find out.
Class action to claim back lost pension entitlements
Published 11 June 2019
An Age Pensioner has been successful in claiming back substantial pension reductions after Centrelink incorrectly assessed an inheritance received by them.
Bupa Willoughby: why mandatory staff ratios are the only way
Published 28 May 2019
Bupa Willoughby's evidence at the Royal Commission into Aged Care is proof that putting nursing homes in charge of setting their own staffing ratios represents a severe case of handing over the keys to the blood bank to Count Dracula. [more]
ACCC takes BUPA to court
Published 28 May 2019
THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking Bupa Aged Care Australia Pty Ltd to court. That's something the spick-spanking new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can't do.
Legislation for publication of aged care staff ratios reintroduced
Published 28 May 2019
RE-ELECTED South Australian Federal Member, Rebekha Sharkie will reintroduce her Staffing Ratio Disclosure Bill. The Bill will require aged care facilities to publish staff-to-resident ratios on the My Aged Care website.
Specialists still free to charge fees as they please
Published 28 May 2019
Medical specialists can and do charge like wounded bulls. Beware those without health insurance. The Government is throwing a price-comparison website at the problem. Will this make specialist medical care more affordable?
Will I get Alzheimer’s?
Published 28 May 2019
Now there's a question. Wouldn't it be nice if by just playing a game on your mobile you could settle that question once and for all? Sea Quest Hero promises to do just that, but how realistic is this claim?
Are mobility scooters for daredevils only?
Published 28 May 2019
Mobility scooters look as benign as dodge'm cars, but overseas evidence suggests they are potential death traps.
Death waits for no one except IPART
Published 28 May 2019
The NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) is looking at the pricing of interment and cremation when what matters to people who buy funerals is in the overall pricing of funerals.
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