Should Australian seniors form their own political party?
Older Australians are being invited to have their say on whether seniors should have their own political party.
National Seniors Australia (NSA) chief executive, Michael O’Neill, has raised the issue in his blog on the National Seniors website and the organisation is running an online poll to gauge potential support for a seniors party.
“Whatever the outcome of the debate, the fact that seniors are even discussing the option of their own political party is a warning to the major political parties not to take the votes of older Australians for granted,” Mr O’Neill said.
“The message to politicians is clear. They have to show that they are taking the concerns of older Australians seriously – on issues like health, aged care and age discrimination – or they will lose their votes. Whether it is to an existing party or to a new seniors party is still up for debate,” he said.
NSA is not a seniors party and is not aligned to any political party. There may be potential for a seniors party to gain support and even some electoral success but is it the best way to give older Australians a political voice?
To have your say in the online debate and vote on the poll visit http://www.nationalseniors.com.au/page/Membership/Blog/
