Why I want to be working at 70

Hello fellow members,

Well, we’ve had to endure endless hype and speculation over the past few weeks about what the Federal Budget will contain, and the truth is we won’t really know until Tuesday.

Meantime, I wanted to draw your attention to our latest Budget Survey of more than 6300 of you.

It shows most of us don’t want to work until 70, but it also highlights a significant willingness among older Australians who WANT to work until 70 – more than 1 in 3 in fact.

Only 1 in 10 believed they would be able to find satisfactory work. And 7 in 10 responded by saying they don’t believe physically appropriate work would be available.

Here’s the deal. In 10 years, I will be 67 and I want to be working.

After nearly 40 years in the media I have no idea what that work will be, but with great respect I’d prefer not to be flipping burgers (not that there is anything wrong with that). Meaning, I don’t want to stop and health permitting, I believe I can continue to make a meaningful contribution.

I know not all of you want to work until you’re 70 and that’s okay too. But if the pension system is to be sustainable in the future, we need more support for older Australians who do want to work.

We all need a good reason to get out of bed in the morning! No one can convince me that someone who has had a manual job for the first 50 years of their life can’t use the next 20 productively in a different environment, like an office. These people have life experience, brains, dignity and a willingness not to be a burden on the community.

When we think training and education we have been conditioned to think 5 to 25. This must change. Training and education must be inclusive of 5 to 55, and even beyond.

We all know that Australia is an ageing society. And we all know that Australia has been living beyond its means. The solution is very fairly obvious in my opinion. It can’t be that difficult to retrain and re-educate mature adult Australians.

Again I remind you, the best way we can facilitate change is with numbers, so let’s get more of our FiftyUp friends and relatives to join our club.

In the meantime rest assured the highly energetic team here at the club and I will filter through the gobbledygook of the Budget and tell you exactly how it will affect you.

With Warmest Regards,

John