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NewsHelp Australia understand The Power of Oldness
Help Australia understand The Power of Oldness

Help Australia understand The Power of Oldness

Tags: Consumer Action
Last updated by John Mangos on

Screen Shot 2014-08-20 at 4.05.00 PM“I know what you’re thinking

I’m old. Very old.

And you might be wondering

How did I get so lucky?”

So begins a short video unveiled this week that exposes the stark difference between the skills that mature workers offer employers and organisations, and the discrimination they face when trying to gain or maintain jobs.

It ends with the words “Oldness – it’s everywhere. And if you’re lucky, it could happen to you.”

It’s quite a powerful campaign called “The Power of Oldness”, launched by Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, and the Minister for Employment, Senator Eric Abetz.

And we love it! Here at FiftyUp Club HQ, we applaud Commissioner Ryan and her team for coming up with the campaign.

“We are living through a massive demographic change”, she said this week, “yet community attitudes, employer practices and business strategies seem to ignore where we are at.”

We are right behind her when she says we can’t go on as if we are still living in 1909, the year the age pension was introduced in Australia, with an eligibility age of 65, but only 4% living long enough to qualify.

And we are behind the federal Government’s Restart program, designed to pay up to $10,000 to employers who hire over-50s and give a leg-up to older workers who still want to work.

That’s why we want to throw the weight of the FiftyUp Club behind this campaign.

Here’s how:

1. Watch the video by clicking here: http://www.powerofoldness.com

2. Share it! Put it on Facebook, Tweet it, or even send this link by email to your friends,

3. We will also push the #PowerofOld in our own media, social media and website.

Let’s see if we can help raise awareness of the raw deal older workers are getting.

The Federal Government has made a start but all govnerments and businesses could be doing more to make the most of the experience of FiftyUps.

Too many of us have actually lived through the last shot in the video:

“Sorry sir … we’re looking for someone … younger”.

Originally posted on .

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Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

Did you notice that the interviewer is young? How can she possibly make an educated decision when she lacks the experience to encompass beyond the CV. The best way to help employ older people is to have older people assist with the interview process as the younger ones often feel threatened to employ someone who may know more than they do. 

Julie
Julie from QLD commented:

while employing young people may be cheaper, there's a lot of pluses to employing us older folks, we have life experience, we arent going to need maternity leave etc. we have grown up so are more likely to take the job more seriously than the younger ones would. 

graeme
graeme from QLD commented:

the only way to help fix this big problem is to approach actual businesses and get their agreement to employ seniors, and have them stick to it. as one who has been through this a few years back, major national companies are the worst offenders, axpecially for a male, not so bad for a female, and retail would have to be the worst offenders...... although this is not what they will admit to. believe me i was put through the wringer, when face to face interviews, and resume`s, were returned with age or date of birth underlined or circled..........DISCRIMINATION IS WILD AND RAMPART. 

Margaret
Margaret from QLD commented:

I applaud this campaign. I am currently living this experience with my Husband who lost his job when his Company went into voluntary receivership earlier this year. He is a hard worker and has Trade qualifications but it seems if you are only a few years off eligible retirement age, no-one wants to know you. Something has to be done to change this mindset... 

Barbara
Barbara from ACT commented:

Do you mean "it could happen to you?" 

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