Older Australians supporting the campaign “Let Pensioners Work”

National Seniors, the main organisation for older Australians, has called for retired Australians to be allowed to return to work without having their retirement income reduced.

Val Dempsey, the 2022 Senior Australian of the Year, has stepped forward as the face of the Let Pensioners Employment campaign, describing how government policy has made it difficult for her to supplement her income with part-time work.

“My hourly rate immediately pushes me beyond the limit of what I’m permitted to earn while on the age pension. I couldn’t even obtain three hours in a fortnight without jeopardising my pension ” Dempsey stated on Thursday.

In Australia, if a retiree earns more than 300 Australian dollars per week (about 214 US dollars), additional income begins to eat into their pension.

This implies that a senior earning 400 Australian dollars (about 286 US dollars) per week would see their pension benefits reduced by 50 Australian dollars (roughly 36 US dollars), or half of the excess cap.

This makes it difficult for retirees like Dempsey to boost their biweekly pension payments of 800 to 900 dollars (about 571 to 643 euros), which barely cover housing and food expenditures.
“It would be so easy to boost our household income as a qualified nurse,” she remarked.

Professor John McCallum, CEO and Director of Research at National Seniors, said Dempsey’s tale is duplicated across Australia.

“Our surveys of thousands of older Australians have revealed the critical need for reform, and Val Dempsey’s tale gives numbers a human face,” he added.

McCallum has asked the federal government to test a three-year scheme that would eliminate the present penalty for excess earnings by retirees.

“Australian retirees want employment, and Australian companies want people,” he added, “therefore the federal government should launch a three-year experiment of abolishing the age pension income criteria.”

According to a 2017 analysis from the OECD Library, 26 percent of Australians aged 65 and over were poor, compared to 13 percent throughout the OECD.

Pension payments have become a combustible topic as Australia’s federal election approaches. Many Australians have called for a benefit increase, and competing political parties have pledged to enhance pension payouts.

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