THE VOICE - May 2012

1 May2012 THEVOICEOFPENSIONERSANDSUPERANNUANTSOFNSW

THE

VOICEOF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSWPrint Post Approved PP235387100064 ISSN 10353615 May 2012

BONDSAREHEREBUTFAMILYHOMELOOKSSAFE

CPSA IS very proud of the outcome of its No Flogging of the Family Home for a Nursing Home campaign. The family home will NOT be included in the aged care means test. There will NOT be a reverse mortgage scheme to tip proud home owners back into debt. The Government’s own secret opinion polling (if it did any) must have shown it what two published opinion polls had shown: there was no community support for forcing

the sale or reverse mortgaging of the family home to pay for aged care. CPSA’s opinion poll found that two-in-three Australians rejected the notion that anyone should be forced to sell or reverse mortgage the family home to access aged care, as proposed by the Productivity Commission report ‘Caring for Older Australians’. Previously, a member survey by National Seniors had shown a similar outcome. What readers need to remind

themselves of though, is that the new measures will reform aged care funding, they won’t reform aged care. Quality is unlikely to improve because of these measures, only profits. The Government’s aged care announcement marks a missed opportunity to start a transition from institutionalised care in residential aged care facilities to the building of apartments and townhouses clustered around a dementia wing and hospice.

The Dutch experience suggests that people needing care would be queuing up to buy into them and very keen to sell their family home to move into something where the vast majority of them could stay until they died and which would be a valuable asset of their estate. So what will change in aged care, if the measures announced by the Government on 20 April 2012 are passed by the Parliament? Read all about it on page 5.


CPSAExecutive(as at 2.11.2011)

Grace Selway OAM CPSA President

Bob JayCPSA Secretary

Betty ChamberlainCPSA Treasurer

Bill HollandSenior Vice PresidentAssistant Treasurer

George RayVice President

Sue LatimerAssistant Secretary

Shirley BainsMargaret Craven-ScottJim GraindaMarie Mihell Colin VernonBarbara Wright

THEVOICEOF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW

Phone: 1800 451 488Fax: (02) 9281 9716Email: [email protected]: Amelia Christie, Antoine Mangion & Paul VersteegePrinter: MPD, Unit E1, 46-62 Maddox Street, Alexandria NSW 2015

All content prepared by the editorial and production team with reference to stories on AAP newswire, unless indicated.

THE VOICECPSA, Level 9, 28 Foveaux StSurry Hills NSW 2010

Disclaimer

No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in advertisements or text supplied by other organisations or individuals and/or typographical errors.

CPSA does not support or promote the products or views in paid advertising.

LettersPoor move. APIA DEAR APIAI find it very distressing that you advertise funeral insurance through the NSW Seniors Card. This type of insurance is a rip off for elderly people as it usually ends up costing them more than an actual funeral. Might I ask you desist from advertising such a hugely overpriced product in a guide that is designed to help the elderly save money and not cost them more?Yours sincerely,

Barbara WrightBusby, NSW

See page 10 for a related story. Ed.

Pittance of a pension increaseIT IS clear as to what the Federal Government has done by giving us $2.50 extra a week. Over the past few years we have been getting increases of

around $20.00 per fortnight for a couple. But because we are getting 1.7% interim increase by the first of July, this caters for what we are missing out now plus an extra few dollars per fortnight. It is a very smart move but does not help the pensioners in any way. The cost of living has gone up considerably as you have pointed out.

Dick Bylsma Nollamara, WA

Fortunately, the indexing of Pensions and Allowances works in a more transparent manner. The small increase to the pension in March was due to low inflation and low wage increases. However, as CPSA has criticised, the indexation of payments does not take into proper consideration the effect of ‘anomoly’ price rises such as the large spike in electricity bills. Please refer to page 8

of THE VOICE, April 2012. Ed.

RVs not home ownershipCONGRATULATIONS! I just read your latest issue and was particularly interested in the response to the denigration of CPSA policy on funding for aged care by Ian Yates of COTA. However, while wholeheartedly supporting CPSA policy, I was dismayed to read in your article the reference to Retirement Village residence as being “a retention of home ownership.” Residence in a RV does not entail ownership of the premises, merely the right to be accommodated. The association of RV residents have long struggled for a clearer and better understanding of conditions for entry into this form of housing for older people. May I suggest to your writer that he/she becomes better

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I’d like to renew my Membership or join CPSA as a Member and enclose my individual Membership fee of $12 (Includes a free annual subscription to THE VOICE, valued at $25.00). I agree to be bound by the CPSA Constitution and uphold the Objectives and Policies of CPSA. I support the CPSA Objectives. I have not previously been expelled from CPSA or, if I have been expelled, I have attached a copy of my CPSA Executive exemption. Please send me information about my nearest Branch. I do not wish to join CPSA but would like to subscribe to THE VOICE (1 year—$25.00 incl. GST). I belong to an organisation and would like information about how we can become a Branch or an Affiliate of CPSA. (NB: Branches are covered by CPSA’s $10 million Public Liability Insurance). I wish to make a donation of $______ (All donations above $2 are tax deductible). Please send me information about THE VOICE gift subscriptions. I wish to make a bequest to CPSA in my Will. Please send me information.Name:_____________________________________________________________________________Address:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________State:_____________Postcode:__________Phone: ______________________________Email:_________________________________________Payment details (for credit card): Visa Mastercard Name on card:__________________________Card Number:___________________Expiry:_________Amount:______________________ Signature:_____________________________________________

Please send to: CPSA, Level 9, 28 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Letters are personal views only and do not necessarily reflect CPSA policy. Ed.

May2012 www.cpsa.org.au 1800451488 3

informed on R.V’s before referencing them as a form of “home ownership”. Indeed it is my belief that the Government has taken the example of this hugely profitable R V area of real estate as the highly successful strategy of how to access pensioner home ownership assets. Their proposed policy for funding of aged care holds much similarity. A clarification would, I am sure, be appreciated by those RV residents who continue to struggle for their residential rights and hold mutual concerns for access to aged care. Barbara Burnham,

Hurlstone Park, NSW

THE VOICE referred to retirement villages as an example of accommodation that older people were prepared to sell their house for. Also, even though people

don’t own their retirement village unit, they have equity in it. Ed.

Phone book a squint of a readPRESUMABLY all regional areas have been issued wih a nearly illegible, small telephone directory. The Orana Branch dicussed this at the April meeting and Members were unanimous in condemning this publication which is illegible with minuscule print. Apparently there is a number to call to obtain a magnifying glass. Pity is most of us cannot read the number! A Member obtained one which is smaller than a credit card. It was also suggested that this will be a two year directory and may even be the last one issued. This is an insult to all the elderly, infirm and and all

those who do not have access to the internet , which in our Branch would be about 70% of members. Those businesses which advertise in the Yellow Pages, must feel penalised as the ads are so tiny. I believe they pay a fair amount to be included in the Yellow Pages. A new origional sized directory should be issued as this one is an insult.

Joan TealeDubbo, NSW

Privatising the cost of Centrelink’s savingsTHE LAST few years, Centrelink has encouraged pensioners to register for online services such as reminders, letters and so on.

The cost of a computer is between $250 to $1,500 and then the cost of the internet plus other expenses is $25 to $35 a month minimum. Then goodness help you if it breaks down or you press the wrong switch. You’ll then have to find nearby volunteers for backups and to show you how to operate a computer, which won’t be easy. The savings made by Centrelink are enormous, especially now they can track down to a single dollar over the limit. The savings should partly be given as an allowance to pensioners to operate the computer.

Victor BorgGladesville, NSW

Letters

By post: THE VOICE, CPSA Level 9, 28 Foveaux StSurry Hills NSW 2010

By email:[email protected]

You must include your name and suburb/town for the letter to be published, though these may be omitted in publication if the letter contains personal information. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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CPSA - who we areCPSA was founded in 1931 in response to pension cuts. CPSA is a non-profit, non-party-political membership association which serves pensioners of all ages, superannuants and low-income retirees. The aim of CPSA is to improve the standard of living and well-being of its Members and constituents.

Head Office News

Head Office News is sent to all Branch Secretaries, Presidents and Treasurers with the instruction to read it aloud to the Branch meeting.

Every Branch Member is also entitled to receive a copy.

If you would like a copy, please call Head Office on 1800 451 488.

My Health, My Future, My Choice: An Advance Care Directive for New South Wales

Do you want to have a say in what happens to you if you need health care treatment and cannot speak for yourself? Every day, families, friends and medical professionals are faced with difficult decisions about the health care of seriously ill or injured people. These decisions are especially hard when the person is unable to communicate their health and personal care choices.

My Health, My Future, My Choice is a book that explains what people can do to make sure their health and personal care choices will be known in the future. It is easy-to-read and is set out like a workbook with sections for the reader’s notes.

The book contains a four-page advance care directive form. The form has been designed to make it as simple as possible for people to record their choices about their health and personal care. The book and the form have been written for use in New South Wales and are relevant to adults of all ages.

My Health, My Future, My Choice costs $12 plus $2 postage and handling. To purchase the book, call 0423 157 003, download the order form from www.advancecaredirectives.org.au or email [email protected]

The book is authored by Sara Graham, Anne Hampshire, Elizabeth Hindmarsh, Barbara Squires and Sharon Wall of the Advance Care Directive Association Inc.

The authors have experience in and expert knowledge of aged care, health, general practice, nursing, education and community welfare.


Members’page

Crosswordby Hilda Thorburn

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CPSA is grateful for all donations. Due to lack of space, the following only includes donations above $35 received since the last edition of THE VOICE:

P. Lenton $100D. Provest $50

Across 1. Vehicles pulled by reindeer (5’1,7) 8. Examined closely 9. Greek island10. Rancour, taste11. Large town12. Fuel14. Guided ..., weapons17. American sport20. Experts23. Naughty child24. Parade, march25. Turkish mountain26. Wet-weather outfit27. Desired airflow on a hot day (7,6)

Answers on back page

Down

1. Daybreak 2. Be there in time (2,5 than) 3. Our country 4. Our two largest cities (6,9) 5. Merits, gets wages 6. Italian dumplings 7. Ghost, spirit13. It is (‘3) (poetical)15. Wine waiter16. Side sheltered from the wind18. Pilots, flight staff19. Captivate21. Blister containing fluid22. Newborn24. Paved outdoor area

Garden of RemembranceShoalhaven Heads Branch has lost another one of their lovely ladies: their Secretary, Margaret Banks. Always ready with a cheery smile, Margaret enjoyed the company of Branch Members, and will be sadly missed by all.

The Members of Hastings Combined Seniors (previously Port Macquarie Branch of CPSA) is sad to farewell Val Craigie. Val was a founding Member of the Branch in 1994 and continued to serve as Treasurer until her passing. Her passing will leave a void in our lives and our Association but she will be remembered with affection by all and remain a guiding inspiration in future endeavours.

Mr Len Hurley of Budgewoi CPSA passed away 7 March 2012. He was a very jovial man and worked hard for the community. Len was awarded medals for his work and will be sadly missed.

Hilda Thorburn, a long-standing contributor of the crossword to THE VOICE and CPSA Member, passed away, aged 95, on 1 April. Hilda had written the crossword since October 2002 and, including the one for June she had already perpared, contributed 76 crosswords in total.

~ Rest in Peace ~

CPSA Constitution

THE CPSA Constitution with updates from the 2011 AGM is now available on our website. Visit www.cpsa.org.au and click ‘About Us’. If you would like a copy sent to you, call Head Office on 1800 451 488.

Condition of CPSA Membership

According to the NSW Associations Incorporation Act 2009 (Schedule 1, clause 11(1)(a) and Appendix 1 based on Clause 3(1)), it is a condition of your ongoing CPSA membership that you agree to comply with CPSA’s Constitution including Aims & Objectives.

If you have any questions or would like a copy of the Constitution, please call Head Office on 1800 451 488. The Constitution is also available at www.cpsa.org.au.

CPSA MerchandiseBadgesMembership : pin $4.50Membership: magnet $4.50Title Bar* + pendant $9.00Title Bar* $5.00Pendant $4.00(*except Welfare Officer $10.15Asst Soc. Sec.) $16.15CardsMembership card $0.10Waratah card $1.00Card wallet $3.30Certificate (80/90 years/Appreciation) $1.10Emergency medical information book $2.00Leather key ring $5.50Letter opener: silver or gold $10.00Do Not Knock Sticker - single sticker FREE - bulk order $1.00 eachTea caddy spoon $4.40

Please add postage to all items.


Nursing home bonds are here

CURRENTLY, residential aged care providers can only ask for an accommodation bond for low care nursing homes. However, the distinction between low- and high care will be abolished. This will have the effect of enabling residential aged care providers to ask for accommodation bonds for any level of residential aged care. Very wisely, the Government has said it will regulate what nursing homes charge for accommodation and care. Each facility will need to make application to a new pricing authority so that its maximum charges can be determined. The result of this should be that excessive bonds will no longer exist and it may also lead to lower bonds across the board. Residents who can afford to will pay:• A basic fee of up to 85% of

the single full rate pension (exclusive of supplements) - this fee is payable by all residents, even full rate single pensioners;

•An accommodation charge, which reduces the accommodation

supplement paid by the Government – the accommodation charge can exceed the level of the accommodation supplement, and this is where bonds come in; and

• A care fee, which reduces the Government’s care subsidy – the care fee cannot be higher than $25,000 a year and has a lifetime cap of $60,000.

As an alternative to bonds, people will be able to pay accommodation charges periodically as well.

Bonds and the family home

BECAUSE the family home will continue to be excluded from the aged care means test, technically no one will have to sell their house to be admitted to a nursing home. What will happen in practice is less certain. At the moment, people without any significant other assets than the family home are often finding it impossible to get into a nursing home for low-care without putting up a bond. That bond is usually paid for out of the proceeds of the sale of the family home, even though the family home is excluded from the aged care means test. The same could happen after 1 July 2014, when low-

and high care no longer exist as categories. There are a few things that may prevent this from coming to pass. First, there will be a dramatic increase in the number of what are currently known as Community Aged Care Packages, but what will be called Home Care Packages. There are 40,000 packages now; this will go up to 100,000 by 2021-2022. Obviously, if it is easier to get a Home Care Package, it’s easier to stay out of a nursing home and not pay a nursing home bond. Second, the Government is increasing its Accommodation Supplement by about 60 per cent. The Accommodation Supplement is paid where residents are unable to partly or fully contribute to the cost of their accommodation. This increase will almost certainly prompt investment in nursing home construction and will lead to an increase in available places. The effect could be that nursing home operators, to fill their homes, will be obliged to take in residents without the means to pay for their accommodation costs. However, bonds will be here from 1 July 2014, and it’s something that CPSA

will watch very closely. People already in residential care will not be affected by the changes.

Home care packages

HOME Care Packages will attract two fees. There’s the basic fee, up to 17.5 per cent of the full rate single pension. The Government is introducing a new Hardship Supplement for those unable to pay the basic fee. Then there is the care fee, which is not payable by full rate pensioners, but will attract a charge commensurate with income levels. The price will be capped at $5,000 a year for part-pensioners and $10,000 a year for self-funded retirees. No one will be asked to contribute more than $60,000 during their lifetime. New packages start on 1 July 2014. People already on a package before that date will continue unchanged.

The human approach to aged care reform: care clusters

CPSA WAS never among those who predicted that without the implementation of the Productivity Commission’s funding

AgedCareCampaign

Friend Focus

Pat Singh was born in England and turned 16 two weeks after arriving in Australia. After her boss found out she had been a Girl Guide, she was finally convinced to lead the new 1st St Marys Cub Scout Troop. Pat was a postal clerk in the early 1970s and worked for Australia Post until a car accident in 1982 left her unable to continue working. After living in Brisbane for many years, she returned to Sydney and again became

involved in volunteer community work. Among her voluntary roles, Pat worked extensively for Northcott Disability Services, Diabetes Australia and the Penrtih Arthritis group. In 2001, Pat followed the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, and became the third generation of her family to join CPSA. She hadn’t been a Member long before she was elected President of St Mary’s Branch, a position she was honoured to hold until her death in December 2010. Pat was very proud to be a Member of CPSA and believed strongly in

supporting its Members and in helping others. She was a gracious and warm-hearted person who always put the needs of others before her own, and she made friends wherever she went. She was well known in the area and is very much missed. CPSA was proud to have her as a Member. She promoted the benefits of CPSA membership, and the importance of CPSA as an advocate, in the broader community. Pat always led by example and her bequest to CPSA is no exception.

Friends of CPSAContinued page 7


CPSAMemberBenefit


recommendations the aged care system would fall over. For consumers the aged care system fell over a long time ago. Understaffed nursing homes. Terrible food. Neglect. Abuse. As mentioned earlier, if the Government were to push for the building of accessible apartments and townhouses clustered around a dementia wing and hospice, older people would be queuing up to buy into them, very keen to sell their family home to move into something where they could stay until they died and which would be a valuable asset of their estate. Let’s call them care clusters. Think about it. You are worried about what will happen in the future. You sell up and buy a residence in a care cluster.

The care cluster could be a strata-titled development. A body corporate runs the place, not a nursing home baron. The body corporate, apart from running the building, hires community aged care. Residents not happy with the quality of care? Out goes the provider, and a new one is hired. The problem with bad quality of care in our current nursing homes is that you can’t fire the care provider, because the care provider owns the building. That’s why all those audit reports on nursing homes keep saying nursing homes comply with the standards. That’s why the standards are so wishy-washy; it can always be argued that homes comply. The separation of the building management function and the care

provision function is also entirely consistent with the distinction the Productivity Commission made between the cost of accommodation and the cost of care. Care clusters would represent a move away from institutionalising and hospitalising people. Instead they become part of a community. Even those that need to be cared for in a dementia wing remain close to their partners, who still occupy the residence in the care cluster. Care clusters would also deal with the conundrum presented by the fact that people want to age and eventually die in their own home, which has generally speaking not been designed to accommodate people with mobility problems, something everyone who lives long enough is going to experience. You can install all the grab rails and ramps you want, your typical home will not accommodate someone who needs to use a power wheelchair. Care clusters, built according to universal design principles, would accommodate power chairs. The Apartments-for-Life approach taken by the Dutch aged care provider Humanitas, which is very much the care cluster approach, is extremely popular. So popular, that its CEO reported people try to bribe him to get in.

Whither the Productivity Commission?

AGED care reform measures announced on 20 April are so far removed from the Productivity’s Commission recommendations that the Commission might as well

not have bothered. The Federal Treasury seems to have made it clear to Government that the idea of running a reverse mortgage scheme that would turn the Government into the largest bank in the country is strictly for the birds. With reverse mortgages out, the idea of including the family home in the aged care means testing was also out. Exeunt the Productivity Commission. So what possessed the Commission to float the reverse mortgage idea? Rumour at the time had it that the independent Productivity Commission had actually been told to go with the family home inclusion idea and the reverse mortgage idea.

COTA Conversations

DESPITE clear evidence emerging that Australians rejected the idea of effectively being forced to sell or reverse mortgage the family home, the Council on the Ageing (COTA) kept pushing the forced sale/reverse mortgage recommendations. CPSA’s survey found that two-in-three Australians reject the notion that anyone should be forced to sell or reverse mortgage the family home to access aged care, as proposed by the Productivity Commission report ‘Caring for Older Australians’. If not forced or effectively forced through inclusion of the family home in the aged care means test, the idea of the Australian Government sponsoring access to a reverse mortgage of the family home to pay for aged care received 60-40 support. However, if the element of compulsion were to be introduced, the support rate for selling or reverse

AgedCareCampaign

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From page 5


mortgaging the family home dropped dramatically: more than two-thirds of respondents were opposed to being made to sell or reverse mortgage the home to pay for aged care. Only five per cent of respondents strongly supported the Productivity Commission’s proposal to force people to sell or reverse mortgage the family home to pay for aged care. COTA’s Summary Report on the Conversations on Ageing following public consultation organised by COTA and published on 3 April 2012, just two-and-a-half weeks before the Government made its announcement, says: “There were usually one or two people at each Conversation who expressed concern about having to sell their principal residence but this concern was not generally picked up and supported by the majority of the audience. There was recognition by many that this is the norm now. “People who raised this as an issue seemed to think that Government should pay fully for aged care for everyone. Many people accepted that using this asset was probably a reasonable way to pay for accommodation.”

How did COTA get it so wrong? COTA says it is “The Voice of Senior Australians” and represents 500,000 older Australians, but COTA clearly hadn’t a clue what those 500,000 older Australians were thinking.

Compensation kicks in for Carbon Tax

LATER this month, pensioners and retirees on a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) will receive lump sum payments

designed to cover the costs associated with the carbon tax. Single pensioners will receive a ‘Clean Energy Advance’ lump sum payment of $250 and couples will receive $380 combined before carbon pricing takes effect from 1 July. A further ‘Clean Energy Supplement’ of $88 for singles and $130 for couples will be paid out through fortnightly instalments from next March, making the Clean Energy payments total $338 for singles and $510 for couples combined. If a household does not receive a Centrelink payment but does not pay tax, they may be entitled to the Low Income Supplement lump sum payment of $300. Meanwhile, CSHC holders who also pay tax will receive higher rates of compensation because in addition to the two Clean Energy payments, they will receive tax cuts on their taxable income. According to Treasury, the cost of living is expected to go up by 0.7% in the first year of the tax. This translates to an average increased cost of $204 for single pensioners and $284 for couples combined in the next financial year, meaning that for most pensioners, the additional payments will cover the cost they incur due to the carbon tax. It is important to recognise that the compensation has been designed to ensure only this takes place. It will cover these costs with additional money to try to ensure full compensation. However, while the Australian Government is encouraging households to change their behaviour and end up further ahead by keeping more of the compensation, the additional

money being paid to full rate pensioners and allowance recipients will not be enough to help them afford new, energy efficient appliances or household modifications that would reduce energy bills and ease cost of living pressures. To this end, the Australian Government is introducing a new Home Energy Saver Scheme (not to be confused with the NSW Government Home Power Savings Program). The scheme, worth $30 million over four years, will assist approximately 50,000 households on low incomes to access no or low-interest loans to buy energy-efficient appliances such as fridges and washing machines. CPSA is calling on the Government to significantly expand the program into the future to assist even more households, including bridging the large upfront costs for items such as solar panels and solar or gas hot water. CPSA will also be working to ensure that the compensation continues to cover the costs faced by low-income households into the future.

NSW Government might dish out their own carbon pain through public rent increases

WITH all this talk about how pensioners and other households will be affected by the carbon tax, public and community housing tenants were originally relieved that the compensation to pensioners and allowance recipients is to be in the form of a supplement rather than as part of the base rate of pensions and allowances. Supplements are typically quarantined from the

calculation of housing rents. However, the NSW Minister of Family and Community Services, Pru Goward, dropped a bombshell early last month by refusing to rule out increasing rents when the carbon tax compensation kicks in. A spokesman for the Minister told the Sydney Morning Herald (3 April) that the NSW Government did not support the carbon tax and exempting the increase from rent-setting calculations for public housing would cost several million dollars in revenue. How the NSW Government can be against the carbon tax because of the costs it will have on households, and then reduce the compensation aimed at reducing its impact on Australia’s most vulnerable, has left CPSA scratching its head in disbelief. Public and community housing tenants are already struggling enough. The compensation is for assistance with a specific cost, not for general living expenses, including housing. How could the NSW Government argue then that it would be losing revenue? At the time of writing, the NSW Government has still failed to rule out such a senseless and punitive action. Federal Member for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek, NSW Shadow Minister for Housing, Adam Searle, and NSW Shadow Minister for Transport, Penny Sharpe, have launched a petition asking the NSW Government to not increase rents when the compensation is paid. If you wish to sign the petition, contact the Parliamentary Office of Penny Sharpe on (02) 9230 2741.

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Poles, wires and carbon tax the main causes for proposed electricity price increases

ANOTHER July, another whack to household electricity bills. It seems a long time ago now since the annual electricity price increase less than 10 percent. All households will be hit hard, again, but some more so than others. In the EnergyAustralia area, prices are set to jump by 19.2%, meaning the average household will pay an extra $6.50 a week ($338 per annum). Meanwhile in the Country Energy area, prices will increase by 17.6%, costing the average household $7.32 per week ($381p.a.). In comparison, Integral Energy customers are set to fare relatively much better. Their prices will increase by 10.3%. This will result in the average household paying an extra $3.51 per week ($182

p.a.). IPART, which determines energy prices in NSW, said the draft pricing decision was due 50% to rising network costs of supplying electricity and 50% to the introduction of a price on carbon emissions from electricity generators (the carbon tax). It seems the Clean Energy payments will sufficiently cover the increased cost of electricity caused by the carbon tax. Electricity is the biggest contributor to increased household costs due to the carbon tax. Pensioners and others on low incomes will, however, find little relief, particularly because the Low Income Household Energy Rebate will only increase by $15 to $215. It represents a 7.5% increase to the rebate while pensioner customers of EnergyAustralia and Country Energy areas will face electricity price increases of around 9-10% when the

effect of the carbon tax is ignored. Only Integral Energy customers have a higher proportional increase to the rebate than the electricity charges they are set to face. CPSA has long been campaigning to remedy such inconsistencies. The rebate affects households in different and unequal ways and is not set in a fair and transparent manner. It is for these reasons that CPSA has been calling for such rebates and concessions to be reviewed transparently by IPART, removing much of the politics that plays a role in how rebates are currently determined.

Welfare needs to stay Mr Hockey

SHADOW Treasurer, Joe Hockey, recently made statements about Australia’s welfare system, criticising “universal entitlement”. He went on to state that Australia

needs to compete with our Asian neighbours on thrifty welfare spending. He indicated that a Coalition Government would look at cutting welfare and other entitlements in order to offset lower personal income and business taxes. Speaking in London (perhaps he knew he wouldn’t find a sympathetic audience in Australia), he told ABC TV; “we are all living longer and the longer we rely on government handouts, the greater the burden for taxpayers”. He stated that the “age of entitlement” was over for Western countries. Yet Australia only spends 16% of GDP on direct welfare compared with the 20 – 30% spent in many European nations. CPSA is not sure where Mr Hockey got the idea that Australians would like a system with no social safety net. Perhaps Mr Hockey needs to speak to pensioners themselves and ask if they think they are receiving too much. The figures surrounding the importance of pensions and allowances (in keeping people just out of poverty) are stark so its importance cannot be disregarded. Or so we thought. VOICE readers are well aware of the struggle to keep up with rising living expenses on Centrelink payments and the effect of reducing them further would be devastating.

Vision Care Update: O’Farrell refuses to budge on spectacle suspension

READERS will remember the outrage about the suspension of Vision Care NSW’s Spectacle program outlined in the March edition

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of THE VOICE. This essential program which provides spectacles to those unable to afford them was suspended for four months. This has left 25 000 people on low incomes with low vision, many of them older people, without the ability to access necessary glasses and visual aids. CPSA contacted Premier O’Farrell and Minister Goward letting them know of CPSA’s disgust at this move of punishing the most disadvantaged because the program exceeded budget. CPSA pointed out the tight criteria and the low cost per individual and that perhaps over spending was due to inadequate funding rather than irresponsible spending. O’Farrell responded by saying that the previous budget blowouts under Labor had been funded by money taken out of the out-of-home-care budget. He pointed out that the Government is not prepared to fund the Spectacle program’s overspending from the out-of-home-care budget as happened under Labor. He ended the letter by saying that “the recipients of the Spectacles program are worthy people, but so are vulnerable children and young people in out-of-home care”. CPSA does not want to see the out-of-home care program rorted to fund this program either but rather that both are adequately funded. And importantly, the last NSW budget handed out was not a Labor one but one handed down by Barry O’Farrell so this year’s over spending and poor budget allocation can hardly be attributed to Labor. It seems grossly unfair that those in need of glasses and

unable to pay for them are the ones hard hit under this political squabble.

Funeral insurance: not good enough for Fair Trading Minister, but good enough for seniors

IN SPITE of warnings by NSW Fair Trading Minster Anthony Roberts about funeral insurance, advertising by funeral insurance companies will continue in the NSW Seniors Card Directory. CPSA had written to Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Andrew Constance, outlining its concerns about prominent advertisements in the Seniors Card Directory by companies offering funeral insurance products. CPSA’s research into funeral insurance last year found that policy holders could end up paying up to five times the cost of their funeral in insurance premiums if they held onto their cover until they died. Premiums can also reach up to 8 per cent of the pension for $6,000 cover, meaning that often times, people will be unable to afford the rising costs, stop paying and lose their cover and all they’ve already paid. Minister Constance stated that all businesses that advertise in the Directory have successfully passed a business reputation check undertaken by Fair Trading and that, “without enough advertising revenue, the directory would not be able to be produced and distributed to over 800,000 Seniors Card members in NSW”. The Minister did, however, appreciate CPSA’s concerns on the matter and has asked Ageing, Disability and Home Care to explore

advertisement opportunities other than funeral insurance in future years. CPSA hopes that this comes to fruition and that the potential for losses to households caused by funeral insurance products is not set aside in seeking a revenue base for the Seniors Card Directory.

Park Owners Rip Off Deceased Estates

CPSA calls for increased consumer protection for deceased estates comprising of a dwelling in a residential park. A recent judicial decision allows residential park owners to refuse a dwelling in their park to be sold on-site unless it is the owner’s principal place of residence. This means that park owners can effectively compel deceased estates to remove the dwelling from the park, thus reducing the value of the dwelling by up to 90 per cent. The only alternative is for an executor or heir to move into the dwelling and use it as their principal place of residence while selling. CPSA is concerned that

this recent interpretation of the law clears the way for unscrupulous park owners to rip off deceased estates at the expense of the rightful heirs by refusing an on-site sale to gain access to the site and install and sell a dwelling of their own, or to gain access to the deceased estate dwelling at a very cheap price. Removal of a dwelling from a residential park could cost in excess of $25,000, often more than the value of the home off-site. Whatever the law says and however it’s interpreted, surely the law covering residential parks was not intended to facilitate park owners to scam deceased estates CPSA, through its Park and Village Service, has raised the issue of deceased estates and the need for reform during a now completed review of the Residential Parks Act and has again raised it with NSW Fair Trading Minister, Anthony Roberts. If you are concerned about this you should contact your local state member of parliament or the Minister for Fair Trading. The Park and Village Service can be contacted on 1800 177 688.

CPSACampaigns


INCOMESECURITY

CentrelinkAge Pension 13 23 00

DSP/Carer benefits 13 27 17Family Assistance 13 61 50

Welfare Rights CentreInfo on Government pensions

and other benefits(02) 9211 53001800 226 028

National Information Centre on Retirement InvestmentsAnything for the small investor and people wondering about

super or how to invest1800 020 110

Financial Ombudsman Services

Complaints about banking, insurance, super, financial

planning 1300 780 808

Industry Fund FinancialPlanning

1300 138 848

Australian Taxation OfficeSuper/Lost super 13 10 20

Personal tax 13 28 61

British Pensions inAustralia

Assistance in claiming the British Pension(02) 9521 79641300 308 353

No Interest Loans Scheme1800 509 994

RIGHTS

Australian Human Rights Commission

Complaints about discrimination and

harassment 1300 369 711

Commonwealth Ombudsman

Complaints about Federal Government departments and

agencies 1300 362 072

NSW Ombudsman’s Office Complaints about NSW Government agencies

1800 451 524

NSW Trustee and Guardian1300 360 466

Guardianship TribunalFinancial management orders

for people with decision-making disabilities

1800 463 928

Seniors Information Service13 12 44

Consumer Trader & Tenancy Tribunal

Tenancy, trader and consumer disputes13 32 20

Energy & Water Ombudsman (EWON)

Complaints about all NSW electricity/gas retailers and Sydney and Hunter Water

1800 246 545

TelecommunicationsIndustry Ombudsman

Phone and internet complaints 1800 062 058

GOODSANDSERVICE

Telstra Pensioner DiscountFor basic plans only

1800 353 652

NSW Seniors CardDiscounts on goods and services 1300 364 758

NSW Companion CardFree event admission for

companions of eligible people with a disability 1800 893 044

IPART Energy ComparisonCalculator 1300 136 888

HEALTHANDCARE

Commonwealth CareLinkInfo about aged and

community care 1800 052 222

Office of Hearing ServicesSubsidised hearing aids

1800 500 726

Dementia Helpline1800 100 500

Single-gender Ward Hotline For patients who wish

to be placed in a single-gender ward after 24hrs

hospitalisation1800 700 830

VisionCare NSWSubsidised spectacles

(02) 9344 4122 1800 806 851

Home Care Service NSWDomestic assistance, respite

and personal care 1800 044 043

Rape Crisis Centre24hours/7days 1800 424 017

Health Care Complaints Commission

NSW only (02) 9219 74441800 043 159

Carers NSWInformation, support

1800 242 636Emergency respite

1800 059 059

Aged care information lineResidential and community

aged care information1800 200 422

Aged Care Complaints Scheme

Complaints about residential and community aged care

1800 550 552

LifelineMental health support,

suicide prevention 13 11 14

Beyond BlueDepression and anxiety

information 1300 224 636

Public Dental Health Services

Call NSW Health for details(02) 9391 90001800 639 398

Medicare Enhanced Primary Care Dental Scheme

Call Medicare for details132 011

People with DisabilitiesAdvice for people with a

disability(02) 9370 31001800 422 016

Exit AustraliaInformation about euthanasia

1300 103 948

Dying with Dignity NSW(02) 9212 4782

Australian Men’s Shed

Association 1300 550 009

HOUSING

CPSA’s Older Persons Tenants’ Service (OPTS)

Individual advocacy(02) 9566 11201800 13 13 10

CPSA’s Park and Village Service (PAVS)

Individual advocacy for caravan parks and

manufactured homes villages(02) 9566 10101800 177 688

NSW Department of Housing

Info and applications1300 468 746

Tenants Advice LineMondays 3-6pm1800 251 101

LEGAL

The Aged-care Rights Service including Older Persons’ Legal ServiceAged care and retirement

village advocacy and information and legal advice

for older people.(02) 9281 36001800 424 079

Law AccessReferrals for legal help

1300 888 529

The Law SocietySolicitor and legal firm

referrals(02) 9926 03001800 422 713

Community Justice Centres Dispute resolution services for minor matters 9228 7455

Domestic Violence Advocacy Service

1800 200 526

Family Relationship Centres Relationship and separation information 1800 050 321

Office of the Legal Services Commissioner

Complaints about lawyers and conveyancers 1800 242 958

CPSAInformationDirectory


Giggle Page

CrosswordSolutionsCrosswordonpage4

I did not know this...When you drink vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure.When you drink rum over ice, it can give you liver failure.

When you drink whiskey over ice, it can give you heart problems.When you drink gin over ice, it can give you brain problems.

Apparently, ice is really bad for you.Warn all your friends.

Did you hear about the man who:Cut off his fingers so he could play the piano by ear.Went to the city when he heard the country was at war.Took a tram home but his mother made him take it back.Backed off a bus to keep a lady from pinching his seat.Cut off his arm so he could wear sleeveless jumpers.Took his nose apart to see what made it run.Went to the living room because he thought he was dying.Thought his bed was too narrow so sent for a bed spread.Took his bicycle to bed to save him walking in his sleep.Put his nose out the car window so that wind could blow it.Pulled his teeth out so that he could chew gum.He wanted to die with his boots on so that he wouldn’t hurt his feet when he kicked the bucket.

How to know if you are growing old

Everything hurts – what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.The gleam in your eye is the sun hitting your bifocals.You feel like the morning after, but you haven’t been anywhere.Your black book contains only names ending in M.D.You get winded playing cards.Your children begin to look middle aged.A dripping tap causes an uncontrollable urge.You know all the answers but no-one asks the questions.You look forward to a dull evening.You need your glasses to find your glasses.You turn out the light for economy instead of romance.Your knees buckle but your belt won’t.Your back goes out more often than you do.Your house is too big and your medicine cabinet isn’t big enough.Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.

With thanks to CPSA Member Arthur Keane

A Ride-on Mower for these fuel-efficient times

THE VOICE - May 2012

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Transcript of THE VOICE - May 2012