Cutting Through The Red Tape

I couldn't agree more. I am in the process at the moment and have filled in about 120 pages, I am 80 years old, a director of a small company and this is the first time I have had any dealings with Centrelink. The personnel at Milton, my nearest office, have been excellent in assisting with information and advice. I still don't know whether or not I will qualify for a part pension. My brother in the UK has a superannuation pension and automatically qualified for the age pension when he was 65, he also worked part time until age 70 with out it affecting his pension. Good luck. 

We will lose our part pension in Jan 2017 due to the retrospective legislation that the government has brought in. It will mean that with the absurdly low interest rates we will be living on less than the full pension and having to use capital. It defeats the purpose of saving over the years to help fund our retirement. We should have spent our money on expensive holidays etc and got the full pension at retirement. Bring on a fair deal for all aged Australians the vast majority of whom have worked hard and paid tax for up to 50 years. 

Agree with this to. Having both reached age 65, with husband still working and myself not we decided to apply for the Australian Pension. Filling the forms was mind boggling. To say the least it took 3 months to satisfactorily complete required paperwork and attachments. Vist to Centrelink to lodge same, that was an hour just to hand it over. Needless to say 65 pages later, they rang to say application was declined for both of us. Therefore husband still works and I have nothing, not even a concession card. So much for a happy retirement. 

Totally agree, you get to the stage where you wonder if it's worth it! 

I am 66 years, still working 3 days a week and not looking forward to applying for a pension. I haven't decided when I will retire as yet. I have heard on the radio (3Aw in Melbourne) a company called Age Pension Solutions who will fill in the paperwork for you, sort out any problems and you never need go into Centrelink again but I don't know how much they charge. Frances 

An excellent argument or reason for sensibility in the age of "Paper war" wherever possible despite 'recycle mania'. A petition or Referendum may solve problems. Democratic rule for Australians of personal decision age to receive Pension without Paperwork especially for those with sight situations is needed. 

What we need to do is get out into the streets and protest at the treatment of the elderly in this country I am a 55 yr old woman and I'm frightened to grow old in my country (6th generation aussie). I will be working till I'm 70, I think voluntary euthanasia should be made legal so we have a choice to go out with dignity. I am computer literate but the amount of drama and hassle to do anything at Centrelink, the amount of forms that have to be filled out is unbelievable, (I advocate on behalf on my elderly mother who has dementia) what a nightmare for people who aren't used to using computers and what happens if you haven't got a computer?? Maybe the gov't should fund all Australian citizens of pension age to a basic computer course, after all most of us have been honest taxpayers all our lives. Stand up and make noise we are not a minority and our voices can and will be heard. Jayne NSW 

oops That should have read 1 Jan 2017 (NOT I will lose my meager pension on Jan 1, 1970) 

I started work at 13, and finished at 68 years of age. And have worked all my life. It took months, many spreadsheets, much talk-talk on phone and a number of visits to C/link to convince then that they had it wrong! In the end, I sat down with someone at C/link and made them add up my alleged assets as per their computer, to finally prove that the amount THEY said I had was not calculated correctly! (Calculator and their computer did not agree!) Do not give up! Perseverance is the key, Hang in there, after all, you are not working and have the time to rectify this. I do know what a waste of retirement time it is! Now, thanks to slight of hand by the almighty government and their new RETROSPECTIVE rules, I will lose my meager pension on Jan 1, 1970. This -after working to their rules all my life- and planning for my retirement, it is a bitter pill to choke on to loose the little I received AND to add insult to injury, I will loose the grandfathering of the Jan 1 3025 rules re deeming on my allocated pension account! Why are politicians not forced to live by the same rules that they apply to us?? 

Yep, me too! I've just posted (to Canberra yesterday) the second bundle of papers applying for the Aged Pension that I feel I am entitled to. I'm 65, still work full time (we have a mortgage to pay) married to a wonderful man who has 'retired' due to ill health and is now on a pension. I have worked my entire life (well, since I was 15 years old anyway) married at 17 and raised 2 children (who are both married with 5 grandchildren between them). I have paid my taxes for 50 years and have never been on the dole or any other type of Government assistance. There have been many periods of financial hardship in my life but I/we always seemed to get by, thanks to 'doing without' occasionally. It's been no great hardship, unlike our parent's generation, but I'm now starting to think that I served my time, and Australia, very well. I'm entitled to draw a pension and I am frustrated that I've had to fill in what seemed like a transcript of 'War & Peace' in order to QUALIFY for what I have, by turning 65, earned. Come on Fifty Up Club, let's get a campaign started for the government to, ideally, follow NZ's lead to automatically pay every 65 year old the aged pension, or, more realistically, have an aged pensioner draw up a more user friendly version of the application process. I'd be happy to provide a prototype at no expense to anyone. Just give me a go and I'm sure there will be many, many grateful 64 year old Aussies when they find the 'new' application form a breeze to fill in and submit when that magic 65th birthday arrives.