Fees for Paper Bills Decision Delayed
Published 20 September 2018
Update on the fees for paper bills decision.
Why the Pension Age Must Stay at 67
Published 20 September 2018
The Australian Government has ditched its plan to raise the age at which people become eligible for the Age Pension to 70. It held on to the plan for more than three years after announcing it as part of Budget 2015.
Energy Supplement Safe!
Published 20 September 2018
The Australian Government has decided to abandon plans to axe the Energy Supplement,
Minimum Wage for Pensioners: New Social Security Commission
Published 20 September 2018
The Victorian independent Member of the federal Parliament Cathy McGowan has introduced a private member’s Bill to establish a social security commission.
A Catch When Switching Super Funds
Published 20 September 2018
With all the talk recently about underperforming retail superannuation funds, you could be tempted to switch to a better performing fund. However, there can be a catch.
ASIC Slams Reverse Mortgages
Published 20 September 2018
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) reviewed 17,000 actual reverse mortgages which older people had taken out on their homes.
How Nursing Home Industry Saves Half a Billion Dollars a Year on Staff
Published 20 September 2018
The trial of an on-call medical service for 24 nursing homes in Brisbane has prevented more than 600 unnecessary trips to the hospital emergency department and up to 500 unnecessary hospitalisations over a 12-month period.
Nursing Home Medications: Why staffing Ratios Are Important
Published 20 September 2018
Nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents are given psychiatric drugs every day. A drug use survey by the University of Tasmania has shown that 61 per cent of 11,300 residents in 150 homes were on daily doses of benzodiazepines, a type of tranquilliser drug, or antidepressants, many of which were also a sedative. [more]
No Freedom of Information under Single Aged Care Quality Framework
Published 20 September 2018
The Aged Care (Single Quality Framework) Reform Bill 2018 has cleared the Senate, but the sector will maintain its secrecy and culture of cover-ups.
CPSA Calls for an Internet Supplement
Published 31 August 2018
Services like Centrelink and Medicare have achieved huge cost savings by moving online. However, accessing services online comes at a cost to pensioners and other low income households. The creation of an Internet Supplement would help pensioners keep up in a digital world. [more]
Unanswered: 22 Million Centrelink Calls Per Year
Published 30 August 2018
Fifty five million calls to Centrelink call centres went unanswered during 2016-2017. Of these, the Minister for Human Services said, 20 per cent were repeat calls made through apps.
Labor to Reinstate Energy Supplement if Scrapped
Published 29 August 2018
Federal Labor has made a pre-election promise to reinstate the Energy Supplement if the Australian Parliament votes to scrap it.
Super Contributions in Retirement
Published 27 August 2018
If you are retired but have a part time job or perhaps do seasonal work, your employer pays you 9.5 per cent on top of your pay as your Superannuation Guarantee.This money needs to go into a superannuation account.
GPs are Fed Up with the Aged Care System Too
Published 24 August 2018
A recent survey by the Australian Medical Association shows GPs are quitting residential aged care in droves.
Return of the Aged Care Robot
Published 23 August 2018
"We don't even have Wi-Fi': a descriptive study exploring current use and availability of communication technologies in residential aged care, by Wendy Moyle et al surveyed nursing homes and found a lag in uptake of modern communication technologies. [more]
My Health Record: In or Out?
Published 20 August 2018
The roll-out of My Health Record has created a media storm, with arguments for and against participation flying thick and fast.
Plan Your Healthcare
Published 31 July 2018
Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) has reported that it has received five times the number of calls it did the previous year.
Consumer Watchdog Shows the Way on Electricity Pricing
Published 29 July 2018
If the Australian Government adopts the recommendations of a recent report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), electricity prices might finally come down.
Tri-annual SMSF Audits
Published 28 July 2018
The last federal Budget contained a measure to change the frequency of Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) audits from annual to every three years. This would only be available to SMSFs with a clean record over the previous three years. [more]
Centrelink Automation Leaves Vulnerable Behind
Published 27 July 2018
A recent report confirms what we already know, that Centrelink's push for automation and self-service is leaving people behind.
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