If we received a dollar every time we heard someone say, ‘I can’t afford it unless I go back to work, then I will lose my pension,’ we’d probably be millionaires, if not billionaires. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you would be too. So when we stumbled upon this opinion piece written by Cherie Romaro we asked ourselves, why isn’t this front and centre news?

Day in and out we hear that Australia's unemployment is at an all-time low, yet we are facing one of the biggest labour shortages we’ve ever seen. Australian businesses are struggling to get employees on board so much so that they are offering people sign-up bonuses like an additional $50 just to show up to work, or $1,000 for starting a new job.

At the same time, there are millions of Australians on full or part pensions who are deliberately working just enough hours every fortnight, so when they submit their earnings to Centrelink they aren’t penalised, regardless of whether they could or want to do more work. It’s simply not worth the risk of losing the pension, because at the end of the day, that extra hour, shift, or day’s worth of work, isn’t enough to cover the pension that they lose as a result of doing the extra work. We’re sure many of you have faced this dilemma in the past and we’ve seen some discussions about it on the forum.

Pensioners may be the solution. Image source: Shutterstock.
​

We know pensioners can earn up to $300 a fortnight or $7,800 a year without impacting their entitlements. That’s $150 a week and we all know $150 isn’t getting anyone too far nowadays. In fact, you’re lucky if $150 is consistently covering your weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. Not to mention, if you earn more than that $300 a fortnight, you’re of course penalised, and receive a lower pension.

Australia is in desperate need of workers in sectors ranging from health, education, hospitality, agriculture, and many more, and instead of talking about bringing pensioners back into the workforce without any penalties, we are talking about bringing workers in from overseas. Now, we at the SDC want to make it known, that we have nothing against bringing overseas workers to Australia, what we do not understand, is why, if we have millions of Australians here, ready and willing to go to work, but can’t because they will get penalised, are we not just changing this penalty? New Zealand has been doing it for years!

And there are so many benefits to doing so. If you could rejoin the workforce without any penalties, or with at least a reduced penalty, you would pay tax on their earnings AND would likely spend more, which boosts the economy. Not to mention, you bring skills and experience that no one in the current workforce has. Your potential to mentor younger generations is quite literally priceless.

The benefits do not end here (of course, they don’t) Ms Romaro makes an extremely good point when she says that ‘there is proof that older people being socially interactive and working longer delays mental and physical decline, which dramatically affects costs of our aged care and health systems.’ So not only would pensioners being in the workforce boost the economy, it could reduce the stress on our aged and healthcare systems, which in turn boosts the economy even more.

We absolutely loved this statistic that Ms Romaro pulled from Deloitte Access Economics, so much so that we would like to conclude with it. ‘If we had an additional 5 per cent of Australians over the age of 55 back in the workforce, it would boost GDP by $48 billion.’

What do you think about pensioners having to deliberately work less to avoid financial penalties? Do you do this yourself? If the government changed the penalty or got rid of it, would you work more than you currently do? Some pensioners may not wish to rejoin the workforce but shouldn’t we leave that decision in their capable hands?

 

[Suzanne rose]

I love working and the only reason I'm not is due to illness.
The over 55s worked harder I feel more dedicated to their work and stayed in the one job longer.
My last job I was in it for 15 years , during that time we went through so much staff , the young people after 12 to 24 months got bored and moved on to something else.
After training them to then have them leave . We then had the cost of advertising for new staff then training them
I know if I ever get better I want to work even 3 days aweek.
I would even go on my day off to dress my brides
Work kept me sane, made me feel like I did something worthwhile
Australia has the best workers out there, our pensioners

 

[Mani]

If we received a dollar every time we heard someone say, ‘I can’t afford it unless I go back to work, then I will lose my pension,’ we’d probably be millionaires, if not billionaires. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you would be too. So when we stumbled upon this opinion piece written by Cherie Romaro we asked ourselves, why isn’t this front and centre news?

Day in and out we hear that Australia's unemployment is at an all-time low, yet we are facing one of the biggest labour shortages we’ve ever seen. Australian businesses are struggling to get employees on board so much so that they are offering people sign-up bonuses like an additional $50 just to show up to work, or $1,000 for starting a new job.

At the same time, there are millions of Australians on full or part pensions who are deliberately working just enough hours every fortnight, so when they submit their earnings to Centrelink they aren’t penalised, regardless of whether they could or want to do more work. It’s simply not worth the risk of losing the pension, because at the end of the day, that extra hour, shift, or day’s worth of work, isn’t enough to cover the pension that they lose as a result of doing the extra work. We’re sure many of you have faced this dilemma in the past and we’ve seen some discussions about it on the forum.

View attachment 4887
Pensioners may be the solution. Image source: Shutterstock.
​

We know pensioners can earn up to $300 a fortnight or $7,800 a year without impacting their entitlements. That’s $150 a week and we all know $150 isn’t getting anyone too far nowadays. In fact, you’re lucky if $150 is consistently covering your weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. Not to mention, if you earn more than that $300 a fortnight, you’re of course penalised, and receive a lower pension.

Australia is in desperate need of workers in sectors ranging from health, education, hospitality, agriculture, and many more, and instead of talking about bringing pensioners back into the workforce without any penalties, we are talking about bringing workers in from overseas. Now, we at the SDC want to make it known, that we have nothing against bringing overseas workers to Australia, what we do not understand, is why, if we have millions of Australians here, ready and willing to go to work, but can’t because they will get penalised, are we not just changing this penalty? New Zealand has been doing it for years!

And there are so many benefits to doing so. If you could rejoin the workforce without any penalties, or with at least a reduced penalty, you would pay tax on their earnings AND would likely spend more, which boosts the economy. Not to mention, you bring skills and experience that no one in the current workforce has. Your potential to mentor younger generations is quite literally priceless.

The benefits do not end here (of course, they don’t) Ms Romaro makes an extremely good point when she says that ‘there is proof that older people being socially interactive and working longer delays mental and physical decline, which dramatically affects costs of our aged care and health systems.’ So not only would pensioners being in the workforce boost the economy, it could reduce the stress on our aged and healthcare systems, which in turn boosts the economy even more.

We absolutely loved this statistic that Ms Romaro pulled from Deloitte Access Economics, so much so that we would like to conclude with it. ‘If we had an additional 5 per cent of Australians over the age of 55 back in the workforce, it would boost GDP by $48 billion.’

What do you think about pensioners having to deliberately work less to avoid financial penalties? Do you do this yourself? If the government changed the penalty or got rid of it, would you work more than you currently do? Some pensioners may not wish to rejoin the workforce but shouldn’t we leave that decision in their capable hands?

I totally agree with your point. The Government should realize the difficulty pensioners face with the minimum wage amount. A pensioner on super does not pay tax even if his income is $50,000. I would think that the government should remove this limit and tax the pensioner like they do to working people on the earnings additional to the minimum tax threshold. This way when the amount reaches the tax of the total pension value, it will be equivalent to the pensioner reducing his pension by the tax paid.

 

[Collins]

If we received a dollar every time we heard someone say, ‘I can’t afford it unless I go back to work, then I will lose my pension,’ we’d probably be millionaires, if not billionaires. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you would be too. So when we stumbled upon this opinion piece written by Cherie Romaro we asked ourselves, why isn’t this front and centre news?

Day in and out we hear that Australia's unemployment is at an all-time low, yet we are facing one of the biggest labour shortages we’ve ever seen. Australian businesses are struggling to get employees on board so much so that they are offering people sign-up bonuses like an additional $50 just to show up to work, or $1,000 for starting a new job.

At the same time, there are millions of Australians on full or part pensions who are deliberately working just enough hours every fortnight, so when they submit their earnings to Centrelink they aren’t penalised, regardless of whether they could or want to do more work. It’s simply not worth the risk of losing the pension, because at the end of the day, that extra hour, shift, or day’s worth of work, isn’t enough to cover the pension that they lose as a result of doing the extra work. We’re sure many of you have faced this dilemma in the past and we’ve seen some discussions about it on the forum.

View attachment 4887
Pensioners may be the solution. Image source: Shutterstock.
​

We know pensioners can earn up to $300 a fortnight or $7,800 a year without impacting their entitlements. That’s $150 a week and we all know $150 isn’t getting anyone too far nowadays. In fact, you’re lucky if $150 is consistently covering your weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. Not to mention, if you earn more than that $300 a fortnight, you’re of course penalised, and receive a lower pension.

Australia is in desperate need of workers in sectors ranging from health, education, hospitality, agriculture, and many more, and instead of talking about bringing pensioners back into the workforce without any penalties, we are talking about bringing workers in from overseas. Now, we at the SDC want to make it known, that we have nothing against bringing overseas workers to Australia, what we do not understand, is why, if we have millions of Australians here, ready and willing to go to work, but can’t because they will get penalised, are we not just changing this penalty? New Zealand has been doing it for years!

And there are so many benefits to doing so. If you could rejoin the workforce without any penalties, or with at least a reduced penalty, you would pay tax on their earnings AND would likely spend more, which boosts the economy. Not to mention, you bring skills and experience that no one in the current workforce has. Your potential to mentor younger generations is quite literally priceless.

The benefits do not end here (of course, they don’t) Ms Romaro makes an extremely good point when she says that ‘there is proof that older people being socially interactive and working longer delays mental and physical decline, which dramatically affects costs of our aged care and health systems.’ So not only would pensioners being in the workforce boost the economy, it could reduce the stress on our ageddays and healthcare systems, which in turn boosts the economy even more.

We absolutely loved this statistic that Ms Romaro pulled from Deloitte Access Economics, so much so that we would like to conclude with it. ‘If we had an additional 5 per cent of Australians over the age of 55 back in the workforce, it would boost GDP by $48 billion.’

What do you think about pensioners having to deliberately work less to avoid financial penalties? Do you do this yourself? If the government changed the penalty or got rid of it, would you work more than you currently do? Some pensioners may not wish to rejoin the workforce but shouldn’t we leave that decision in their capable hands?

I work 3 days week I'm 74 got no choice I gross 740 per week get about 450 fortnight pension hav to pay 40 fortnite tax

 

[Kerro]

I have recently retired do to ill health. The 33 years I spent in the WA mining is not conducive to having a health issue. However I am still fit enough at 69 to work and would if they left my pension alone. I have 55 years of work experience I could bring back to the workforce if the government would allow us. The shortage of workers, as stated earlier, could be filled by us pensioners and solve a lot of issues that Australia has. I have never been afraid of hard work and would work till the day I die if the incentive was there.

 

[Collins]

I work 3 days week I'm 74 got no choice I gross 740 per week get about 450 fortnight pension hav to pay 40 fortnite tax

 

[Aukefranz]

I don’t often voice my opion but boy this one really makes me mad, we as husband and wife have worked hard and have been separate entities all our lives, worked payed our taxes separate, because i choice to keep working he gets penalized as I have to report my earnings it totally sucks….. I am able to get a pension at the end of the year, however I love what I do and enjoy going to work but again I/we will be heavily penalized.
Government need to have a really good look at this, and stop lining their own pockets. Why is Australia so far behind compared to other countries..

 

[Baz1960]

HI, I had to retire early on medical grounds. I would enjoy working and contributing, my friends and partner are always encouraging me to return to work. Thus making a difference to myself and assisting to make a difference in the workplaces. However, the navigation of protocols and blocks put up, are confronting and confidence destroying. Having pensioners working, would be far better than immigration in a lot working circumstances. Housing shortages are just the start. We can't afford to bring more labour without housing. But already trained and housed pensioners would certainly help fill the gap. As well as the mental and physical advantages of having pensioners in the workplace.

 

[Nugget]

I'm 71 and would definitely return to the work force if I was able to earn more than the 300 dollars a fortnight without losing part of my pension.

 

[Piglet]

If we received a dollar every time we heard someone say, ‘I can’t afford it unless I go back to work, then I will lose my pension,’ we’d probably be millionaires, if not billionaires. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you would be too. So when we stumbled upon this opinion piece written by Cherie Romaro we asked ourselves, why isn’t this front and centre news?

Day in and out we hear that Australia's unemployment is at an all-time low, yet we are facing one of the biggest labour shortages we’ve ever seen. Australian businesses are struggling to get employees on board so much so that they are offering people sign-up bonuses like an additional $50 just to show up to work, or $1,000 for starting a new job.

At the same time, there are millions of Australians on full or part pensions who are deliberately working just enough hours every fortnight, so when they submit their earnings to Centrelink they aren’t penalised, regardless of whether they could or want to do more work. It’s simply not worth the risk of losing the pension, because at the end of the day, that extra hour, shift, or day’s worth of work, isn’t enough to cover the pension that they lose as a result of doing the extra work. We’re sure many of you have faced this dilemma in the past and we’ve seen some discussions about it on the forum.

View attachment 4887
Pensioners may be the solution. Image source: Shutterstock.
​

We know pensioners can earn up to $300 a fortnight or $7,800 a year without impacting their entitlements. That’s $150 a week and we all know $150 isn’t getting anyone too far nowadays. In fact, you’re lucky if $150 is consistently covering your weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. Not to mention, if you earn more than that $300 a fortnight, you’re of course penalised, and receive a lower pension.

Australia is in desperate need of workers in sectors ranging from health, education, hospitality, agriculture, and many more, and instead of talking about bringing pensioners back into the workforce without any penalties, we are talking about bringing workers in from overseas. Now, we at the SDC want to make it known, that we have nothing against bringing overseas workers to Australia, what we do not understand, is why, if we have millions of Australians here, ready and willing to go to work, but can’t because they will get penalised, are we not just changing this penalty? New Zealand has been doing it for years!

And there are so many benefits to doing so. If you could rejoin the workforce without any penalties, or with at least a reduced penalty, you would pay tax on their earnings AND would likely spend more, which boosts the economy. Not to mention, you bring skills and experience that no one in the current workforce has. Your potential to mentor younger generations is quite literally priceless.

The benefits do not end here (of course, they don’t) Ms Romaro makes an extremely good point when she says that ‘there is proof that older people being socially interactive and working longer delays mental and physical decline, which dramatically affects costs of our aged care and health systems.’ So not only would pensioners being in the workforce boost the economy, it could reduce the stress on our aged and healthcare systems, which in turn boosts the economy even more.

We absolutely loved this statistic that Ms Romaro pulled from Deloitte Access Economics, so much so that we would like to conclude with it. ‘If we had an additional 5 per cent of Australians over the age of 55 back in the workforce, it would boost GDP by $48 billion.’

What do you think about pensioners having to deliberately work less to avoid financial penalties? Do you do this yourself? If the government changed the penalty or got rid of it, would you work more than you currently do? Some pensioners may not wish to rejoin the workforce but shouldn’t we leave that decision in their capable hands?

Totally agree with this article, I would definitely choose to work a bit more if the amount a pensioner could earn was higher without a penalty. Surely it would be sensible and easy to raise the rate a pensioner can earn to $18,000 which is about the amount when tax kicks in for any full time earner?

 

[adorableagnes]

If we received a dollar every time we heard someone say, ‘I can’t afford it unless I go back to work, then I will lose my pension,’ we’d probably be millionaires, if not billionaires. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you would be too. So when we stumbled upon this opinion piece written by Cherie Romaro we asked ourselves, why isn’t this front and centre news?

Day in and out we hear that Australia's unemployment is at an all-time low, yet we are facing one of the biggest labour shortages we’ve ever seen. Australian businesses are struggling to get employees on board so much so that they are offering people sign-up bonuses like an additional $50 just to show up to work, or $1,000 for starting a new job.

At the same time, there are millions of Australians on full or part pensions who are deliberately working just enough hours every fortnight, so when they submit their earnings to Centrelink they aren’t penalised, regardless of whether they could or want to do more work. It’s simply not worth the risk of losing the pension, because at the end of the day, that extra hour, shift, or day’s worth of work, isn’t enough to cover the pension that they lose as a result of doing the extra work. We’re sure many of you have faced this dilemma in the past and we’ve seen some discussions about it on the forum.

View attachment 4887
Pensioners may be the solution. Image source: Shutterstock.
​

We know pensioners can earn up to $300 a fortnight or $7,800 a year without impacting their entitlements. That’s $150 a week and we all know $150 isn’t getting anyone too far nowadays. In fact, you’re lucky if $150 is consistently covering your weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. Not to mention, if you earn more than that $300 a fortnight, you’re of course penalised, and receive a lower pension.

Australia is in desperate need of workers in sectors ranging from health, education, hospitality, agriculture, and many more, and instead of talking about bringing pensioners back into the workforce without any penalties, we are talking about bringing workers in from overseas. Now, we at the SDC want to make it known, that we have nothing against bringing overseas workers to Australia, what we do not understand, is why, if we have millions of Australians here, ready and willing to go to work, but can’t because they will get penalised, are we not just changing this penalty? New Zealand has been doing it for years!

And there are so many benefits to doing so. If you could rejoin the workforce without any penalties, or with at least a reduced penalty, you would pay tax on their earnings AND would likely spend more, which boosts the economy. Not to mention, you bring skills and experience that no one in the current workforce has. Your potential to mentor younger generations is quite literally priceless.

The benefits do not end here (of course, they don’t) Ms Romaro makes an extremely good point when she says that ‘there is proof that older people being socially interactive and working longer delays mental and physical decline, which dramatically affects costs of our aged care and health systems.’ So not only would pensioners being in the workforce boost the economy, it could reduce the stress on our aged and healthcare systems, which in turn boosts the economy even more.

We absolutely loved this statistic that Ms Romaro pulled from Deloitte Access Economics, so much so that we would like to conclude with it. ‘If we had an additional 5 per cent of Australians over the age of 55 back in the workforce, it would boost GDP by $48 billion.’

What do you think about pensioners having to deliberately work less to avoid financial penalties? Do you do this yourself? If the government changed the penalty or got rid of it, would you work more than you currently do? Some pensioners may not wish to rejoin the workforce but shouldn’t we leave that decision in their capable hands?

I am a pensioner and whilst I do agree that we should be able to work a few more hours each fortnight I do think there should still be a cap on the amount earned before it affects your pension otherwise how can you be classed as a pensioner? Some people would take advantage of the scheme and work fulltime hours, pay tax on that income and still collect a pension. There has to be some cut off point. I know this will not be a popular paost.

 

[dabemu5570]

the only problem with this is, it makes sense and as such it interferes with politician thinking, you see the newcomers will work until they learn our welfare system, then they will wise up and then get on the system of welfare, then we might get some more people imported to replace the previous workers ,(now on welfare) this is how pollies think, and as we are generally apathetic (we DO have the pollies we deserve) so cop it sweet and lets have no more nonsense about common sense, as apparently it aint so common....we DO have the government we deserve,.

 

[Cher]

I had to medically retire at 55 and found I was not entitled to the pension, partially due to age and partially due to my partner earning too much, $100 over the threshold would you believe, which is still the case 11 years later. We struggle financially. I would love to be working again, I miss it, the interactions with other people, solving problems, etc.
Maybe, just maybe, if enough people write to their local Ministers of Parliament about this it might help to commence the process of changing people's perspectives of older Australians and what value they can provide to society as a whole. This entails not only helping reduce unemployment, providing mentoring to younger people, but we also have the advantage of seeing the world longer and understanding people better, offering priceless wisdom that can sustain in the long run, and the list can go on.
You only live once, take a risk, live your life to the fullest and focus on what truly matters.

 

[Sloopy]

I am a pensioner and whilst I do agree that we should be able to work a few more hours each fortnight I do think there should still be a cap on the amount earned before it affects your pension otherwise how can you be classed as a pensioner? Some people would take advantage of the scheme and work fulltime hours, pay tax on that income and still collect a pension. There has to be some cut off point. I know this will not be a popular paost.

Agree with this. Also, age pension deduction is only 50c in the dollar over the earnings limit, whereas for those on Jobseeker payment (which is only approx 2/3 of the pension) they lose 60c in the dollar. Bearing in mind that there are many people in their sixties who are unable to work full-time due to health issues and are stuck on the lower payment, as I know from experience, the level of complaining seems over the top.

 

[Carerras]

It's a no brainer that hundreds of thousands of years of experience is sitting on couches wanting to work, this is a sad and dreadful waste and shows the pathetic governments we have had inability to recognise this. Their easy answer is increase immigration. We need ACTION, NOW. Come on Seniors Club what can be done? This is all regurgitated stuff, we've complained for years enough words, ACTION and representation is needed.

 

[Marj53]

HI, I had to retire early on medical grounds. I would enjoy working and contributing, my friends and partner are always encouraging me to return to work. Thus making a difference to myself and assisting to make a difference in the workplaces. However, the navigation of protocols and blocks put up, are confronting and confidence destroying. Having pensioners working, would be far better than immigration in a lot working circumstances. Housing shortages are just the start. We can't afford to bring more labour without housing. But already trained and housed pensioners would certainly help fill the gap. As well as the mental and physical advantages of having pensioners in the workplace.

I noticed you said your friends and partner are encouraging you to go back to work. Is this what you really want? I am retired and volunteer one morning a week. I could do more days if I wanted to. I love it. ❤

 

[Siak28]

I totally agree with your point. The Government should realize the difficulty pensioners face with the minimum wage amount. A pensioner on super does not pay tax even if his income is $50,000. I would think that the government should remove this limit and tax the pensioner like they do to working people on the earnings additional to the minimum tax threshold. This way when the amount reaches the tax of the total pension value, it will be equivalent to the pensioner reducing his pension by the tax paid.

If pensioners are Self-Funded, which is the case for my son and his wife they did receive a small family payout, but he and his wife worked at a supermarket and another minimum wage jobs worked their way up the ladder by staying in the one job for 18 years. Since beginning work, they have already been taxed on their Super twice, once when they first received their wages and every year at tax time you pay tax on the interest earned. Now you want to slug them again for having the foresight to prepare for retirement but would like to return to work for whatever reason. Fair crack of the whip mate.

 

[Katiej]

Some years back I was receiving invalid benefits but working on call whenever we’ll enough. A bad fall gave me six weeks workers comp ( average of previous 52 weeks, about one day per week) I claimed it according to the income formula. Some five years later, I was told the auditors had discovered it and I had to pay it back - apparently you are not allowed to keep workers comp, even though you could not work at all over that time.

 

[Esma Rose]

I;m the lucky last having all ahead of me. Katiej immediately above is confusing me. Am I under a different sky to her? OR am I reading her wrong? I've never heard of anyone having to give Workers, Comp back. Have you? Not having to call on it I am immensely interested. Given in one hand & taking back with the other is despicable to say the least. Lets me out of voting either way. No wonder they give themselves raises from time to time. Daylight robbery I call it. I am telling you if that had happened to me, I would have gone to jail to prove my point. Surely I am reading it wrong???? That is like the Gov't giving charity then wanting it back. Truly, I am gob smacked. Someone help me please. You all know I live with truth & we are all friends helping one another in this great Club.

 

[Helenmac]

I worked for 48 years as a ICU/CCU nurse, retired and recently thought I would like to return to nursing to help in the recent crisis, and earn a little extra as it is hard on a pension.
According to the nurses board Ahpra, first of all to be re-registered I have too, as one of the conditions, I have to do a refresher course at Uni within a 12 months period at a cost of $8,250 upfront for a 12 weeks course. On top of that, police check cost $52 and a check with working children $123.20. Before I do all that applying for registration cost of $489, (comprising of $180 for registration and the Application fee of $309 - non refundable) A total of $8914.20. And also professional indemnity insurance (not sure of cost)
I don’t want to go back to work in the hospital setting, ICU area, maybe work as a vaccinator or in some medical field relieving, part time. I am fit and healthy and love nursing.
So why would I work, when I can only work to earn $7,800 annually without affecting my pension. I would be only working to pay back what I pay upfront. No thanks. All I can say is, the government is missing out on a lot of retiree’s expertises in any occupation, that we have learned over the years. Should follow New Zealand lead in which they let their pensioners work without greatly affecting their pensions.