Sneaky new Reporting Rule
I am writing in order to bring to your Subscribers notice of a recent newly implemented rule to once again cause further stress and anxiety to all of us Seniors, who have working Part time/Full time Partners and who are not drawing a Govt Pension......
My Wife who is not drawing a Govt Pension has a regular three days a week part time job, her Salary and hours never change...I am on a small Part Govt Pension....and have been for three years now...... Centrelink has always been aware of my Wifes Income and is obviously reflected in the amount I get paid......If there is any any changes I advise Centrelink as a 'Notification Reporter'.....
Just recently I have been advised by Centrelink to my dismay, that I now have to report this income fortnightly on a set date 'forever' until my Wife stops work! .....I am nearing 80 years old and now have to report by either the App, Phone or Online (If you are IT Literate) regularly or I will lose my Pension.........how humbling and insulting that is, when you are just wanting to have a stress free, less worrying retirement, yet Big Brother is now making you report like a Schoolboy to just receive a minimal Pension after working and paying taxes for nearly 65 years, as I am sure your many other subscibers will relate to...what if we are sick or incapacitated or just unable to physically report?
I have written via email to Hank Jorgensen as he is supposed to be accessible about these queries, however, he evidently is'nt and one of his Staff contacted me to try to convince me that this is part of the new rules, is very easy to do and has been implemented in part because of the Robo debt debacle.....I was also told there will be no chance of the Reporting rule to be abolished, as it has now become Govt Policy...and our local Member of Parliament would not be able to help....
It now seems that all of us and there must be tens of thousands who are retired with a partner working regularly part time or not....now have to change our lives, to fortnightly reporting to the Government.....or lose our Pension! .............Once again, they don't care about us.........
If anyone has some way we can change this, I would be interested to hear how......
Whitlam was a great PM ...
Understand your predicament. Have tried to advocate for a Pension which is not income/asset tested.
Neither establishment political party is interested. In fact, I am told Bob Hawke (Labour) was the one
who introduced the asset/income test on the Age Pension. Now, the LNP is progressively tightening
the asset test. Seems they all care only for money, and not for the welfare of senior citizens. Those who
struggled to " better " themselves by saving rather than spending money over their working lives are
now being punished for that. However, those who blew their assets and money ( gambling, overseas trips, etc.)
are rewarded with higher pension payments. The massive bureaucracy required to administer the asset/income
test is a classic example of false economy, and plain stupidity. Inefficiency that messes everyone around,
and just helps bureaucrats build their wasteful empires at the expense of honest hardworking citizens.
The only way to change things is to vote for independents, minor parties and use "grey power" to lobby
these fools. Incidently, New Zealand does NOT have a pension asset test, and is a much smaller economy!
HELLO!