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6:17AM Sunday 23 November, 2008 Sunshine Coast weather Mostly sunny min 17° - max 25°

Save our Seniors, businesses urged

12:00a.m. 24th May 2008

| By Kathy Sundstrom

Save our Seniors, businesses urged

Queen St Meats owner Paul Vicary is giving pensioners a 10% discount on all purchases. Photo: Jason Dougherty/174932

Try to imagine surviving on the Sunshine Coast with only $273.40 a week in your purse.

Even if you own your home – there’s still the rates, the insurance, the medical bills, petrol and the cost of putting a meal on your plate each day.

Federal treasurer Wayne Swan admitted he would struggle, yet the thousands of elderly living on an aged pension are somehow expected to make the maths add up.

With little relief provided for the elderly in the budget, the Sunshine Coast Daily is launching its own “SOS” campaign.

It is calling on local businesses to take up the challenge and give a helping hand to Save Our Seniors.

Each Tuesday, the paper will promote and carry advertisements of the best of the special offers for our seniors.

Already, some Sunshine Coast businesses have come on board.

Nambour’s popular butchery, Queen Street Meats, announced this week that pension card holders would be given a 10% discount on their purchases.

Pensioners’ dockets would also go in a monthly draw for a $25 meat voucher and $25 IGA voucher.

Owner Paul Vicary said that with no support coming from the budget, he and wife Kim felt this was their way of “doing our bit” and he challenged other Nambour businesses to follow suit.

“I very surprised there was nothing in the budget,” Mr Vicary said.

“With the way everything is, it would be a struggle to survive on the pension.”

The 10% discount came as a great bonus to one of their long-standing customers, Nancy Kutasovic.

The 70-year-old has been struggling to get by on the aged pension and said “the 10% definitely helps”.

Special offers can be sent to the Daily’s marketing strategists, Belinda Bollen at belinda.bollen@scnews.com.au and Dawn Stubbs at dawn.stubbs@scnews.com.au or general manager Steve Hutton at steve.hutton@scnews.com.au.

See the weekend section of today’s Sunshine Coast Daily for Kathy Sundstrom’s in-depth look at how our elderly are battling to survive.

Recent Comments

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Posted by trafficman00100 from boreen point
on 24 May, 2008 at 1:18 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Its not only the elderly, what about single parents trying to raise their kids, Its hard for a lot of people with prices for just about ever thing going up and our pays are not increasing to match
Posted by gypsy_girl_72 from little mountain
on 24 May, 2008 at 7:03 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I think it's really sad that pensioners have so little to live on. I think it would be near impossible to live on such a small amount .it's a great idea that the community pull together and help them out. I hope many more buisnesses pull together and offer pensioners discounts.
Posted by tomo49 from caloundra
on 24 May, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Wouldn't it be easy for the government to issue all pensioners with a GST exempt card that could be swiped with any transaction and therefore relieve the burden just a little...
Posted by sunnyone44 from Mooloolaba
on 24 May, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
The thing I would really like to know is WHY would it take an estimated 18 months to have a review of Tax system so that pensioners can perhaps get a rise in pensions paid. Does Mr Rudd and company intend to slug the worker with more taxes to cover the increase? It seems to me that our esteemed leader just does not want to acknowledge we even exist let alone that there is a problem with the system. Perhaps if our political leaders did not go on more and more overseas jaunts and spend money on things like a roo cull and a talk fest there may be a few more dollars to go round,Our pride and our dignity may be tatters but we still have both and we can still hold our heads high but it is getting harder and harder each day.
Posted by Paulas from Sunshine Beach
on 24 May, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
And how many younger readers will get the real message about the importance of saving for their own retirement?
Posted by Excalibur from Doonan
on 24 May, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
This saving for your own retirement is a bit of a tricky business.

The older people who are currently struggling to survive on the Pension had their working lives well before the new "look after number 1" philosophy. Back in the days when there was actually a social security system in Australia.

In many cases they spent what little savings they had to help their kids, knowing that they would be going on the Pension when they retired. Unfortunately someone moved the goalposts on them in the meantime.

Today the Baby-Boomers are saving feverishly for their retirement and being criticised as being "greedy" for building and sitting on a nestegg. Many of them own investment properties as a result and being accused of being greedy landlords.

I think that the younger generation today needs to recognise that it is their own parents and grandparents that they are criticising and that they will be there themselves in no time at all.

The older generation needs to recognise that they have an obligation to the younger generation other than just looking out for their own offspring.
Posted by snkoz from alexandra headland
on 24 May, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Paulas: good point. I would think not many as so many people are caught up in consumerism and the need to have all the luxuries NOW.
Posted by My_2_cents from Southern end
on 24 May, 2008 at 12:46 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This could be a bit of a can of worms. Like someone has already asked, "Is it just for the elderly ?"

While I support and applaud the SCD for trying to do something, the hard part is drawing the line in the sand between elderly, single parents, single parents who work and are struggling just as much, disabled and carers etc etc etc

Is it eligible on presentation of a Seniors Card or a Pension Card ? Do pension cards indicate why the person is on what type of benefit ? What makes one group of strugglers more worthy than another group of strugglers ?

But I again reiterate, I support and applaud the intiative shown by the SCD (and Sunrise TV show). It would be even better if the governments showed the same willingness to help/care ... guess they're not directly impacted by the tightening stuff ?!
Posted by wordz3175 from Caloundra
on 24 May, 2008 at 12:55 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Paulas, the difference between todays aged pensioners and the younger people is superannuation. Remember it was not something available for many older people when they were in the workforce and if it were,it was only the last few years of their working life. Younger people start paying super as soon as they start working. As a disability pensioner I struggle,but because I did work(and paid off my home) I have the luxury of getting superannuation when I am old enough. However it will not be enough to live on, because I was not in the work force for long enough before I become too ill to work.
tomo49, I agree with your suggestion of pensioners having a card so they are exempt from paying GST. I have said the same thing a number of times. But rather then going to the expense of issuing these cards,surely a pension card would be enough(perhaps with a photo on to ensure entitlement goes to the correct person)
Posted by Markt from Kureelpa
on 24 May, 2008 at 2:48 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The problems being experienced by the pensioners needs addressing NOW not in a year's time after countless government inquiries and debates, a GST free card as suggested on this forum would be a great way to reduce their costs with minimum impact on the government coffers. But this idea is most probably too simple for a government to take on board.
To alleviate future problems with the pension system there should be further incentives to save for retirement. For example all deposits to super funds should be tax free, If more people had their own super then this will in the long run save the government untold millions of dollars.
But sadly no government ever looks passed the next election
Posted by gypsy_girl_72 from little mountain
on 24 May, 2008 at 7:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
It"s hard for anyone on government benefits with the cost of living going up soo much. I myself am a single parent who works two jobs and still only just make ends meet. I work full time aswell as part time. It's exremely hard to get by, neverlone get ahead and save for retirement. As a single mother I don't feel we get enough to be able to live on .I also have three children each of which has a medical issue of sorts also making it harder to get ahead. The government gives no incentive for single mums to go to work,in many cases your better off staying at home and not working.
Posted by vanga from caloundra
on 24 May, 2008 at 7:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
it's not the job of business to save the seniors. It's the governments.

throughout their working lives these people have provided the taxes for governments to create government enterprises such as telstra, qantas, commonwealth bank, CSIRO etc etc etc. the theory was that spending their taxes to create viable government businesses would create the profit needed to pay for their retirement pensions.

didn't work. some bright public servant convinced some stupid politician that selling the government businesses was the way to go. And cutting pensioners retirement funds was an easy way to save money - what are they going to do?? half of them won't be around for the next eleciton.
Posted by moretotell from Maroochydore
on 24 May, 2008 at 10:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Just remember, not all seniors/pensioners are poor.

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