Listening Tour Diary
Are the issues different? Our first day in Hobart
Tuesday 11 December 2007
The issues of a rapidly ageing population quickly became front and centre stage. The Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner has done a major report telling the stories of older Tasmanians revealing severe financial pressures, and the lack of access to aged care facilities. Go to http://www.antidiscrimination.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/70308/57610-Age_publication.pdf.
The challenge for Tasmania was confirmed just today by the release of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics which reports that Tasmania now has the oldest population in Australia, with a median age of 39.1 years, overtaking South Australia. This can be contrasted with the youngest state, being the Northern Territory with a median age of 31.1 years. For more about this finding from the ABS, go to http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/3201.0?OpenDocument.
Our evening consultation in Hobart generated lots of discussion about the pressures on grandparents, who after caring for their own children, and often both being in paid work, are now under pressure to take on part-time or sole caring responsibilities for their grandchildren. This pressure comes at a time when, for some older people, they are also under pressure to stay in paid work.
I was really concerned to hear stories about how common it is for older women to have no choice but to stay working in high pressure jobs, like class room teaching, until their mid-sixties, when their male colleagues are more often able to move out of paid work earlier, due to better retirement savings. At our meeting with the Unions Tasmania Women’s Committee, we discussed at length the adverse impact on older women now as a result of their past direct discrimination in younger years, including being forced to leave paid work on marriage, or upon the birth of their first child, their unequal ability to invest in superannuation when their male colleagues could, This has meant that many older women now simply can’t afford to leave paid work due to the small savings behind them.
Is this your situation, or the situation of women you know?
I would really like to hear more on this.
Housing generally has also been discussed a lot – lack of crisis accommodation, long public housing waiting lists, increasing private housing costs, both rentals, and home ownership.
We also heard about the Safe at Home Program for an improved criminal justice response to family violence. I’ll be keen to share more about that with you shortly.
Liz
Anonymous Said,
December 14, 2007 @ 8:52 am
Dear Liz,
I was one of the women who recently spoke to you at the Annie Kenney young Women’s Refuge (Lurline).
On the different matter of ageing women’s economic problems - I would like to add personal information to the effect that - because I was unable to access superannuation funds through my work in earlier years - I had to return to work at the age of 66yrs, because I found it was impossible to maintain a house on my own and pay service bills etc. on the old age pension. I am now 72yrs old and still working.
I took out a $40,000.00 Home Equity loan (like reverse mortgage) with the Commonwealth Bank before I was able to re-commence working.
This loan is now charging 9.5% interest (compounding) and if I don’t keep on working to pay the interest the bank will very quickly gobble up my home.
As you know, I love my work and am dedicated to it - but long hours are having a deleterious effect on my health and the constant worry of not being able to meet the greedy interest rate payments is very stressful.
There must be many other women in the same position who (unlike me) are unable to work and are watching their homes (which they have worked for all their lives) being grabbed back by greedy banks who know we are powerless to demand a fairer interest rate and terms. Paying it back, out of a pension, is impossible - and women don’t realise this until they have been forced in to the situation of using their only asset to try to achieve a liveable income.
Yours sincerely
Lurline
Cameron Said,
December 14, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
I was lucky enough to take part in the Listening Tour in Hobart. I would like to point out that all of the issues we discussed came with their own individual sets of stereotypes and associated images. I believe that the issues themselves, as well as these associated stereotypes, could be prevented by examining gender education throughout infant education, and then again in highschool when sexuality becomes a key issue for many.
Pat Said,
January 21, 2008 @ 5:02 pm
I am particularly interested in how we can rectify the injustices done to women in the superannuation area by the policy of exclusion on the basis of marital status/ temporary or contract employment. I now look forward to retirement and poverty or working until I am well into my 70’s to make up the difference between my super and that of a male of similar age and work history.