CPSA calls for a pensioner council rate rebate inquiry
Published 19 December 2023
NSW gives pensioners a 50% rebate on their council rate. The catch? It's to maximum of $250 and has been for thirty years. Inquiry? You bet!
Aged care: how a protected person protects the family home
Published 19 December 2023
A protected person stays in the home when someone goes into aged care: they are protected, but they also protect the sale value of the home.
Pensioners hit hard by cost of living crisis
Published 15 December 2023
Cost of living is up and our recent survey suggests that for many pensioners and older people on a low income, quality of life is going down.
Catalyst Research finds CPSA testing
Published 15 December 2023
Catalyst Research Managing Director’s Kevin McCreton is not happy and responds to the CPSA Newsletter article about The Catalyst Report.
Aged care report says you want to pay more
Published 13 December 2023
There are two things about aged care and nursing homes people want. One is more money. Two, they never want to go into them.
Home care waiting times: getting better or worse?
Published 11 December 2023
A former aged care minister said that waiting times for the Home Care Packages Program have blown out since he was in charge. Have they?
Are supermarkets profiting from price gouging?
Published 8 December 2023
Coles and Woolworths have been accused of boosting profits during a cost of living crisis and being dishonest about it. Here's a rundown of what's happening and why it's a problem.
Euthanasia is not the same as suicide
Published 6 December 2023
Euthanasia is now legal everywhere in Australia but patients and doctors can still go to jail pending a law change.
Euthanasia: NSW last state to join
Published 6 December 2023
Finally NSW joins the other states & territories and introduces euthanasia, writes Richard Mills, former President of Dying with Dignity NSW.
Iron deficiency: hard to spot, easy to fix
Published 4 December 2023
It tends to be the forgotten medical problem that can make your life a misery unnecessarily: iron deficiency.
Home Care merger: delayed to the never-never
Published 1 December 2023
The two main home care programs were supposed to have merged by July 2023, but it's still not happened and perhaps never will.
Australian Government announces program to bolster energy innovation
Published 29 November 2023
Renewable energy is set to replace fossil fuels, whether we like it or not. What is happening to make sure that this transition provides reliable, affordable energy that can meet our growing country’s needs? The Federal Government is set to invest in new programs, such as a virtual power plant. [more]
Do you hate passwords?
Published 27 November 2023
Do you find passwords annoying? Do you use really easy-to-remember ones or the same one for everything, or maybe both? Recipe for disaster!
Have we got COVID-19 licked?
Published 24 November 2023
COVID-19 was so big it's hard to imagine it's no longer a problem, but the worldwide and Australian stats don't lie.
Automated deeming rates set to reduce pensions
Published 22 November 2023
Deeming rates generally underestimate a pensioner's investment income. Replace deemed income with actual investment income, many will lose.
Optus in hot water after outage disconnected customers from emergency services
Published 20 November 2023
Optus is under a lot of scrutiny this month after a major outage that left many of their customers stranded, unable to even contact emergency services. This had a major impact on businesses and infrastructure, which has put the spotlight on some serious questions about the resilience of telecommunications networks in Australia. [more]
Is Robodebt targeting pensioners now?
Published 17 November 2023
Robodebt is dead and buried, or is it? Is the heartless automation at the core of Robodebt not really dead?
Council rate changes to add further pressure on NSW households
Published 15 November 2023
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has announced changes to the ‘rate peg’ system, which is used to determine the amount of income that NSW councils can make from council rates. This has implications for ratepayers in NSW, who are likely to receive a larger-than-usual hike in rates from next year. [more]
Enduring power of attorney: reform, finally!
Published 13 November 2023
An enduring power of attorney can do as much good as it can do bad unless properly regulated. Baby steps are being taken to fix the problems.
Centrelink call wait times worse than ever
Published 10 November 2023
Services Australia has released their 2022-23 Annual Report, and it probably comes as no surprise that the figures are…well, they’re not great. In particular, Centrelink calls are simply not being picked up.
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