WE EXTEND OUR VERY BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR A SAFE, HEALTHY AND HAPPY  CHRISTMAS.

Aloma Fennell, our National President was elected , as of yesterday, been confirmed as a Chair of the Global Alliance For the Rights of Older People, Australia.

PRESS RELEASE: Older Women & Superannuation

Older women, (women 55+), in Australia have spent a lifetime of accumulating less, a lifetime of inequality of lower pay than men, of fewer higher paid positions than men.  The gender pay gap persists today. 

This endemic, consistent and appalling discrimination coupled with persistent and consistent workplace discrimination has been highly damaging on the mental health and wellbeing of older women. Particularly for those few older women who have held senior positions throughout their working careers. Women who are educated and capable and who can bring a wealth of experience to leadership roles and who are continuously overlooked due to their age.  

Superannuation? With super introduced in 1972 and with wages set, up to 1976, by industrialized awards, today’s older women have little if any superannuation.

Women are getting married older, having children older, and thus have less opportunity to gain financial security.  Women predominately outlive their spouses and then have their pensions reduced. When divorced they get half a house if they are lucky if not they join the growing 44% of homeless older women.

Superannuation? Today’s older women who began work as single women in the public service up to 1972 had to leave their jobs if they got married because it was deemed they were, ‘taking the job of a man.’ “Today one in every two employed women work part-time compared to only one in five men. On average women employed full time earn 20% less than men.”  

The older Women’s Network Australia Incorporated strongly supports the research finding s of the Per Capita think tank as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday July 20, 2017 that, “each person’s  super be assessed against an “accumulated pathway” that would model the balance at each age needed to afford a basic retirement.

To see older women in this 21^st Century sleeping out on the street and in cars is a failure of public policy. Shame Australia!! Whose ‘Luck Country’ is this? Today’s Older women deserve more

Aloma Fennell, National President, Own Australia Inc.

Contact: 0420 785 335, ownaust@gmail.com, Twitter: @OlderWomenNetAu.

Government tries to slash incomes of poorest - again

The Australian Council of Social Service urges the Parliament to again stand up against the latest attempt by the Turnbull Government to cut the incomes of people who have the very least in the country.

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said, "The proposal to cut the Energy Supplement will directly hit people already living in poverty by slashing between $4 to $7 per week from people trying to survive on social security payments, including the $38-per-day Newstart Allowance.

"Pensioners, carers, people with disability, people who are unemployed, and single parents all stand to have their social security base income cut if the bill to slash the Energy Supplement is passed.

"Poverty and inequality would worsen and our unemployment payment, which is more than $100 per week below the poverty line, would be cut by $4.40 per week. Pensions would be cut by $7 per week.

"Cutting payments to people who are locked out of paid work will not help them find a job. Instead, it will make it tougher as they will struggle even more to put a roof over their head and put food on the table. For many people, $7 pays for a family meal, an outfit for kids or travel to look for work. 

"Despite being an essential service, in less than a decade electricity prices have skyrocketed by more than 80%, disconnections have increased by 47%, the number of households on hardship measures has risen, and more households are rationing energy to the detriment of their health and well-being.

"Low-income households also continue to suffer housing stress with 800,000 low-income households paying more than 30% of their income in rent and more than 100,000 people are homeless.

"We commend the Nick Xenophon Team, Labor, the Greens, Senator Lambie and Senator Hinch, for previously rejecting this and other cruel measures. We urge them to stay firm.

"The community sector is united in its opposition to it. The government should focus on improving the adequacy of our unemployment payments rather than throwing their recipients into further destitution.

"Newstart is unbearably low. Business, unions and the community sector all agree that the level of the unemployment needs to be increased. It is extraordinary that the Turnbull Government persists in trying find budget savings by cutting income support to this group even further.

"This Bill has been repeatedly rejected by Parliament. It is a 'zombie' that needs to be buried with the rest. It is cruel to keep this threat over the lives of people affected.

"We call on the Parliament to protect the incomes of up to two million people receiving income support and again reject this bill," Dr Goldie said.

Contact:  Australian Council of Social Service, 0419 626 155

During Senate Estimates this week it was revealed that the Coalition Government is continuing with its plans to attack the pension. Finance Minister, Mathias Cormann, admitted on Wednesday that increasing the age pension to 70 years of age remains Coalition Government policy. This would mean that all Australians, whether they work in an office or in manual work, would be required to keep going until they’re 70, and it’s yet another example of how out of touch this Government is with ordinary Australians. The Older Women's Network Australia Inc will fight this unfair plan.

1.This week the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) released their analysis on the impact the recent budget will have on women. They found that some women will be hit with an effective marginal tax rate of 100%. In Senate Estimates this week the Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash, and the Office of Women revealed that they have not requested any modelling from Treasury on the ways in which women will be affected by changing marginal tax rates. Senator Cash, as the person coordinating women’s policy, has every opportunity to address issues affecting women in the budget. She has the information and analysis that could have informed the budget, yet at Estimates she did not seem to know anything about the effect of the budget on women. This should be a key priority for the Minister for Women.

From: "Rosie Batty - Never Alone"
Subject: My letter to Malcolm Turnbull
Date: 16 March 2017 08:41:21 AM AEDT
To: <[email address suppressed]>

Dear OWNA: Aloma

Throughout Luke’s short life I found myself in and out of the court system more times than I could count. This was incredibly stressful.

Too many family violence victims face similar situations every day.

Many people cannot afford legal representation and one of the few avenues of support available is the Community Legal Centre network across the country. This also includes Women’s Legal Services.
Sign my letter asking the Prime Minister to save Community Legal Centres.

From 1 July 2017, Community Legal Centres across Australia will be forced to close their doors or turn victims away due to a 30% cut to Commonwealth funding.

The ripple effect of these cuts will be huge, family violence victims will have to face their abuser without legal representation and without additional support.

I am asking the Prime Minister to intervene urgently to reverse these cuts. You too can sign on to my letter here. 

As the federal budget nears, it is critical to ask the Prime Minister to reverse these proposed funding cuts and keep Community Legal Centres open. They must be able to adequately support family violence victims at their most vulnerable, particularly in regional and remote communities where access to justice is most difficult.

I hope you’ll join me  - add your name to the letter here.

Thanks for standing with me, 

And the Never Alone team