Budget woes for Qld and NSW
The Queensland government’s decision to create a super Department of Communities, announced in last week’s state budget, has downgraded seniors by ignoring them in the departmental description, according to the National Seniors Association (NSA).
NSA chief executive, Michael O’Neill, said it was a slap in the face for Queensland’s seniors, no reference to seniors was made in the breakdown of the Department of Communities’ departmental responsibilities and goals.
“There has been a disregard for seniors, probably stemming from the creation of a super department (Department of Communities) and seniors have barely been given a mention when citing the government’s ambitions for the future,” said Mr O’Neill.
“No priorities for seniors are mentioned and the dropping of ‘Seniors’ from the Minister’s title is more than just symbolic”.
In other budget news, NSA was disappointed that public housing was not adequately addressed. In Queensland there are around 57,000 properties and there is a waiting list of about 38,000 households. It is estimated that 30% of those waiting are pensioners.
“The budget is delivering 4,000 dwellings over the next three and a half years for public housing but it will do little to ease the long-term housing stress many older people are facing,” he said.
NSW state budget misses helping pensioners to downsize
National Seniors NSW senior policy adviser, Paul Versteege, said the NSW budget, released last Tuesday, missed an obvious way to help pensioners. Initiatives focused on boosting housing construction by giving generous stamp duty exemptions to first-home buyers, investors and those wishing to build their dream home, but completely ignored pensioners wanting to downsize.
“Victoria and the ACT understand the mutual benefits of giving pensioners stamp duty exemptions,” he said.
“It frees up land and allows older people to vacate old, crumbling houses they can no longer maintain and move to appropriate dwellings where they are likely to be able to stay until the end of their lives”.
Other areas of importance in the budget include care, health and rebates.
“There has been a reduction in real terms in the NSW Home Care Service operational budget increases, from $206.3 million to $207.1 million. That was a 0.4% increase – significantly less than the increase in the minimum wage that most home aides are paid, which went up by 4%.
“In 2009/2010, there will be $10 million for acquisition of accommodation places to support older carers of adults and children who are unable to continue to live at home,” said Mr Versteege.
“National Seniors is making this issue a priority and is trying to find out how many older carers with older children are waiting. The 2009-10 NSW expenditure on the council rates pensioner rebates continues to be eroded in real terms without an increase in total expenditure budgeted for 2009-2010”.
