Press release
17 September 2010

SA budget

National Seniors Australia is underwhelmed by the SA budget which may translate in to serious long term ramifications for people aged 50 plus.

Spokesperson for National Seniors Australia Paul Versteege said today (Friday) the budget, which targeted public service staffing levels left seniors vulnerable on two levels.

“Given that voluntary redundancies will be the main tool for trimming public service staffing levels, mature age workers who accept redundancy packages will find it very difficult to be re-employed within 12 months if at all,” Mr Versteege said.

National Senior’s research shows that once a mature age worker is unemployed he or she is likely to remain that way. This would not only directly impact on the unemployed individual but the whole community which will have to foot the bill for the increasing numbers forced to rely on a full aged pension and its associated payments, Mr Versteege said.

“With 45 percent of Australians over 50 years of age, it is a dangerous issue to ignore; it is a growing economic problem with the potential to have significant financial ramifications for Australia,” he said.

“The clamp down on property (over one million dollars) transfers to minimize stamp duty rorting is good news but National Seniors is still waiting for the government to give stamp duty relief to seniors wanting to downsize from their oversized family home to more appropriate accommodation for their older frail years,” Mr Versteege said.

“However there are two measures that are positive for older South Australians as part of the Active Ageing Initiative. There's $6.6 million (over four years) split roughly over a new home-visiting scheme to counter social isolation, and the purchase of personal alert systems. Money has also been directed to 20 additional sub-acute beds,” Mr Versteege said.

The budget also allocated funding for the election-promise hike in utility concessions. The energy rebate will go up from $150 now to $165 by 1/7/2012; water goes from $210 to $232; sewerage from $100 to $110; emergency service levy from $42 to $46.

“Although not substantial, NSA welcomes the increases,” he said.

Media contact: 07 3233 9135