Seniors’ federal budget ‘wish list’
Seniors have pushed the economic case for mature age workers, backed a $6 fee for GP visits and called to delay the Coalition’s paid parental leave scheme in their federal budget submission.
“Older Australians are moving in step with calls to tighten spending,” Michael O’Neill, National Seniors chief executive, said.
“We’ve pared back requests, focused on productivity and identified a handful of savings across the spectrum.
“Health is clearly an area ripe for efficiencies. Projected to account for two-thirds of increased government spending by 2050, it’s heavy with demand and plagued by duplication.
“A safety net backed $6 fee for GP visits is something consumers can handle, and is preferable to a blanket increase in the Medicare Levy, which is already rising from 1.5% to 2% in July to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).”
Under the heading “productivity”, the submission calls for the pre-emptive reskilling of older workers in declining industries and support for mature age entrepreneurship.
“Without reskilling, long term unemployment rates show older workers in collapsed industries will struggle to get back into the workforce. We’re calling on government to get on the front foot and provide practical re-training opportunities long before factory closures,” Mr O’Neill said.
Research shows we lose $16 billion a year by not employing older people who want to work, and just a 5% increase in over-55s workforce participation would add almost $50 billion to the economy.
The submission identifies further efficiencies in national drug purchasing arrangements, health duplications and marriage counselling vouchers.
It opposes raising the pension and preservation ages without job market improvements; increasing the Medicare Levy; including the family home in the age pension assets test; and using the family home via a reverse mortgage to pay for aged care.
In 2013, 86% of National Seniors members declared “tightened spending” as “somewhat” or “very” important to them. The economy (81.1%) and health (78.8%) were identified as their top two priorities.
