Today Show host Karl Stefanovic exposes truth about how the government is treating pensioners! - ‘What is going on?’

In today's challenging times of rising living costs and increasing financial burdens, people who depend on fixed incomes, like pensioners, face a particularly vulnerable situation.

With the relentless upward trend in housing, healthcare, and essential expenses, many are confronted with the difficult reality of trying to manage their limited income to meet their needs.



In a compelling segment on the popular morning show Today, host Karl Stefanovic sheds light on the dire consequences of Australia's housing crisis, as rising rent prices and soaring house costs push the nation's pensioners to their financial limits.

During a heartfelt interview, Karl Stefanovic spoke with Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva, a couple who are grappling with the overwhelming burden of escalating rent expenses.

Their distressing story serves as a poignant reminder of the hardships faced by countless retirees across the country.


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Karl Stefanovic interviewed pensioner couple Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva, who shared their struggles with affording the rent. Credit: Facebook.



Peter and Zinaida were initially confronted with a steep rent increase of $30 per week, which already stretched their budget to the breaking point.

However, their ordeal did not end there, as they were soon confronted with another disheartening blow.

Following an urgent call to their real estate agent seeking clarification, Peter and Zinaida were met with a shocking revelation: their rent was slated to increase by an astonishing $140 per week.



This staggering surge in housing costs left the couple reeling, struggling to comprehend how they could possibly shoulder such a heavy financial burden.

During their interview on the Today Show, Peter expressed his deep concern over the situation, emphasising that they can’t afford a rent payment that surpasses their pension income.

‘$140 per week exceeds our entire pension,’ he lamented.

Unfortunately, Peter and Zinaida’s situation is becoming far too common in Australia due to the high cost of housing - and things only got worse when they called the Department of Housing. In fact, in this article, we covered how one pensioner resorted to sleeping in their car when they got evicted from their home.



'I phoned them up and got transferred to someone else, and the lady said there were people living in tents,' Peter said.

'If I just go down to the local public parks, she told me I’ll see the aged pensioners in tents.'

The comment infuriated Karl, who was baffled at how this situation was even possible.
'What is going on?' he questioned.

'This is the problem - even when you try to get through to the government, you are not heard. As if (living in a tent) is the right alternative.’

‘You work your whole life for this country, you pay taxes, then you get hit with a $140 increase in rent and you have to go and live in a tent in a park. I mean, what is going on?'

Key Takeaways
  • Karl Stefanovic criticised the government's treatment of pensioners who cannot afford high rent increases amid Australia's housing crisis.
  • Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva's rent went up by more than they could afford, and they received no help from the Department of Housing.
  • The issue highlights the struggles faced by pensioners in Australia, who find it difficult to get support from the government.
  • Stefanovic urged the government to listen to pensioners' concerns and find better solutions for their living arrangements.



It’s a heartbreaking yet unfortunately familiar story for so many people living with fixed incomes, and as Karl said, they deserve to be treated with more respect and understanding.

The fact that some could be forced out of their homes due to the rising cost of rent and a lack of assistance from the government is a disgrace.

It hardly seems fair that pensioners spending a lifetime contributing to the community and to the economy should be forced to make that kind of sacrifice.

What do you think about this issue? Do you know anyone who has been affected by increasing rent or the high cost of living, or have you been impacted? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
 
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Very interesting and that
You need to look at the formula for Pension Increase it is not based on the CPI fully or Avg Income it is a formula that produces a much less figure. This is from a simple English explanation of how it is done:-

Most pensions are indexed twice each year (on 20 March and 20 September) by the greater of the movement in the CPI or the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index (PBLCI).

They are then ‘benchmarked’ against a percentage of Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE).

The combined couple rate is benchmarked to 41.76 per cent of MTAWE; the single rate of pension is set at 66.33 per cent of the combined couple rate (which is equal to around 27.7 per cent of MTAWE).

‘Benchmarked’ means that after it has been indexed, the combined couple rate is checked to see whether it is equal to or higher than 41.76 per cent of MTAWE.

If the rate is lower than this percentage, the rates are increased to the appropriate benchmark level.

Other income support payments such as Newstart Allowance are also indexed twice a year but only in line with movements in the CPI.

Indexing pension rates to CPI maintains their real value over time. The PBLCI is designed to check whether pensioners’ disposable incomes have kept pace with price changes.

The MTAWE benchmark is not intended to maintain the value of the pension relative to costs; it is seen as ensuring pensioners maintain a certain standard of living, relative to the rest of the population.
Very interesting and the last sentence equates to: pensioners live below the poverty line as do all welfare recepients.
 
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It appears there is a lot more to that story than the article suggest! The man claims:
$140 per week exceeds our entire pension" - this suggests that they have either a significant income from other sources or they have assets exceeding the asset test.
Could it mean that they are already paying a high rent in the private rental market, and increasing it by $140 exceeds the money they recieve from a pension.
 
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Why would we pensioners vote for someone else's "voice" when they (Albo & co) don't listen to ours?
 
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What's happened to the government's commitment to keep the pension in line with the cost of living? Surely rent is part of the cost of living!
Note that Albo and Chalmers are very quiet on the subject.
With all due respect to the parents of which these two have or had - just think for a moment with empathy if your parents or one of them had to live like this, in this day & age of soaring prices on everything, from rents to utilities, to medicines, medical costs, food-which we need for our health and to survive, fuel (if a car is owned) just think about it & ask the people who are experiencing this way of living - you wouldn't let your parents suffer and end up in a tent! To these two! Just give a small percentage of your wage to age-pensioners and welfare recipients - just think how that would make you feel for a start and it would take the pressure off trying (as you say, trying to find the money for the increases). Imagine living like this yourself after working hard all your life, with the prospect of maybe ending up living in a tent. There is a lot they can do - one being, building more seniors communities with a rebated rent, the same as Dept of Housing has, the Gov't has plenty of land for this - give people the quality of life they deserve as they age, and look after them - you can do it - the bill was passed quickly for euthanasia - pass the bill for pension increases, housing, health just as quickly! Have a clear emphathetic, understanding mind that works with the heart! The wealthy should help the poorer - a small percentage of pollies wages, could do wonders(-__-)
 
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Why would we pensioners vote for someone else's "voice" when they (Albo & co) don't listen to ours?
Remember in 1967 we had a referendum to allow Indigenous Australians to Vote and be fully part of the Constitution with all benefits, including a Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait set up to look after them.. Now they want to add Race back into the Constitution, does not make sense.
 
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I am living OK so why should I worry about anyone else? That is the thinking of the well-off members of parliament. It is about time they were told to live on the normal pension for one month and see how they would get on.
 
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I am living OK so why should I worry about anyone else? That is the thinking of the well-off members of parliament. It is about time they were told to live on the normal pension for one month and see how they would get on.
But not in there homes, in a Rental in a suburb where their are a lot of Elderly pensioners. So they can see what really happens not what their advisors tell them.
 
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We are in a housing shortage, Pensioners are being priced out of rental properties.
They are now living in Tents. Price of food is getting ridiculous, Fuel, Gas, Electricity. Just to keep warm is a juggling act. Now the Government's wants to bring in 1.5 million people. Please tell me where are these people going to live.
 
What's happened to the government's commitment to keep the pension in line with the cost of living? Surely rent is part of the cost of living!
Note that Albo and Chalmers are very quiet on the subject.
That's because they are alright mates in their well-paid jobs & all the perks they get on top of that huge pay. Like all politicians I'm alright Jack is their thinking. Never mind about the pensioners they have done their job of paying taxes so just let them suffer. Jim Chalmers is my local Mp & I had an e-mail from him this morning spouting how well they have done in the budget to make it easier for the lower-income receivers with cheaper medicines & the more Medicare paid to Drs. to make it cheaper for us to see a doctor. My doctor told me that the extra that they will be getting will only cover the running of the surgeries and not allow them to bring bulk billing for pensioners back & if I remember the cut in medicine fees are for only the ones I am not on.
 
They may be being kept in line with CPI but they are far too low in the first place.
How would the powers that be in our government, living in their macmansions, like to try living on this amount.
Each tiny pension increase, means a rent increase when in public housing. So if we get a $37.00 increase. We automatically lose $9.75, as an increase in rent.
I am more than grateful to have a lovely unit, to see my last days, but I do think they need to rethink the increases, a little more fairly.
Not sure how, though.
 
We are in a housing shortage, Pensioners are being priced out of rental properties.
They are now living in Tents. Price of food is getting ridiculous, Fuel, Gas, Electricity. Just to keep warm is a juggling act. Now the Government's wants to bring in 1.5 million people. Please tell me where are these people going to live.
Absolutely,it is ridiculous.
 
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In today's challenging times of rising living costs and increasing financial burdens, people who depend on fixed incomes, like pensioners, face a particularly vulnerable situation.

With the relentless upward trend in housing, healthcare, and essential expenses, many are confronted with the difficult reality of trying to manage their limited income to meet their needs.



In a compelling segment on the popular morning show Today, host Karl Stefanovic sheds light on the dire consequences of Australia's housing crisis, as rising rent prices and soaring house costs push the nation's pensioners to their financial limits.

During a heartfelt interview, Karl Stefanovic spoke with Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva, a couple who are grappling with the overwhelming burden of escalating rent expenses.

Their distressing story serves as a poignant reminder of the hardships faced by countless retirees across the country.


View attachment 20519
Karl Stefanovic interviewed pensioner couple Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva, who shared their struggles with affording the rent. Credit: Facebook.



Peter and Zinaida were initially confronted with a steep rent increase of $30 per week, which already stretched their budget to the breaking point.

However, their ordeal did not end there, as they were soon confronted with another disheartening blow.

Following an urgent call to their real estate agent seeking clarification, Peter and Zinaida were met with a shocking revelation: their rent was slated to increase by an astonishing $140 per week.



This staggering surge in housing costs left the couple reeling, struggling to comprehend how they could possibly shoulder such a heavy financial burden.

During their interview on the Today Show, Peter expressed his deep concern over the situation, emphasising that they can’t afford a rent payment that surpasses their pension income.

‘$140 per week exceeds our entire pension,’ he lamented.

Unfortunately, Peter and Zinaida’s situation is becoming far too common in Australia due to the high cost of housing - and things only got worse when they called the Department of Housing. In fact, in this article, we covered how one pensioner resorted to sleeping in their car when they got evicted from their home.



'I phoned them up and got transferred to someone else, and the lady said there were people living in tents,' Peter said.

'If I just go down to the local public parks, she told me I’ll see the aged pensioners in tents.'

The comment infuriated Karl, who was baffled at how this situation was even possible.
'What is going on?' he questioned.

'This is the problem - even when you try to get through to the government, you are not heard. As if (living in a tent) is the right alternative.’

‘You work your whole life for this country, you pay taxes, then you get hit with a $140 increase in rent and you have to go and live in a tent in a park. I mean, what is going on?'

Key Takeaways

  • Karl Stefanovic criticised the government's treatment of pensioners who cannot afford high rent increases amid Australia's housing crisis.
  • Peter Wood and Zinaida Grebeneva's rent went up by more than they could afford, and they received no help from the Department of Housing.
  • The issue highlights the struggles faced by pensioners in Australia, who find it difficult to get support from the government.
  • Stefanovic urged the government to listen to pensioners' concerns and find better solutions for their living arrangements.



It’s a heartbreaking yet unfortunately familiar story for so many people living with fixed incomes, and as Karl said, they deserve to be treated with more respect and understanding.

The fact that some could be forced out of their homes due to the rising cost of rent and a lack of assistance from the government is a disgrace.

It hardly seems fair that pensioners spending a lifetime contributing to the community and to the economy should be forced to make that kind of sacrifice.

What do you think about this issue? Do you know anyone who has been affected by increasing rent or the high cost of living, or have you been impacted? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
It amazes me that pensioners can be evicted from their homes but squatters can’t. The laws relating to this needs to be reevaluated. The government needs to look at these laws and get them reviewed as soon as possible..
 
I Just came back from the mechanic. He put my Subaru up on the hoist, as I had a slight wheel wobble.
I figured it'd cost about$400.00, turns out its the hub and my selectors need replacing. my abs light came on a about a week back and I have driver's side window issues.

My mechanic said "it's going to cost you about $3-4,000.00 to get everything sorted mate."

Life hey, It just goes WHAMMMM and kicks in the goolies when we least expect it hey.

I will get is sorted, but politicians truly have no idea about life in the real world.
 
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The forgotten are pensioners who rent have no assets or investments or super or savings. It’s hard especially as they often have huge medical and pharmaceutical bills too.
I so agree. They say the Pension is in line with living expenses. Possibly 30 years ago. I then earned more than the Pension I receive now. So to me at least we are 30 years behind. And I was not in any big time fancy job just a Trade.
 

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