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2010 Election - Media Release 3
Ph: 0414 544 475 david.norris@bnext.com.au OPSO commends his research on seniors in the workplace, launched early this year. “CASH for Clunkers” Abbot’s workforce policy fails the senior workforce. Tony Abbot is applying a negative policy approach to older people which is not acceptable. A policy approach which pays employers to hire the older worker makes the employer ask "what’s the catch?". A business owner under this mindset is just as likely to fall into the widely held myths on older people and work. Such myths that older people are unproductive, not committed to corporate or business goals, they are unsafe as they are likely to experience more injury and ill health have long been condemned by research and experience as completely untrue. The government’s focus on a wider policy initiative on employment and age encompasses the use of training, development and knowledge management systems in businesses to improve productivity and sustainability of businesses. The economy as the Coalition has strenuously argued does not move as a result of a cash splash. So why would it work in this case of older workers and employment opportunities. The issue that Coalition fails to address is that of widespread ageism in the workplace. The Opposition's policy derails the current government's work to move age away from disability-burden template of ageing. “Remarkably through all this policy setting agenda about the future of our workforce, we have neglected to ask this group of mature age workers how they feel,” said David Norris, Director of workforce solutions firm, BeNext. “The BUY ME tag is one that ill fits a generation whose attitude on life is one of can-do and will do.” Ageing and work has numerous barriers yet to overcome and the solution must have real and relevant policy which positions mature age workers as valued, engaged and essential to the working future of Australia.”
BeNext BeNext prioprietry research of 2010 lifted the lid on the workforce future of baby Boomers and their contemporaries and provides an insight of where policy needs to be heading. The Future of Work: Baby Boomer workforce intentions, lifted the lid on what the opportunity is for relevant policy. BeNext is mature-age workforce solutions firm that is championing the call to action to engage Baby Boomers and their contemporaries as a vital workforce for community and business productivity and sustainability. BeNext was formed in August 2008 by Ben Hughes and David Norris who were both facing similar challenges in their careers. Where will our workforce come from for today’s and tomorrow’s business and community productivity AND how do you get people with skills to move to regional areas to take up jobs? BeNext was formed to provide a new and innovative solution to this problem. This solution is based on tapping into the power of an ageing workforce. BeNext works to define the second half of adult life as a time of individual, social and community renewal. BeNext provides core services: BeNext.com.au is an online community that champions the call to engage millions of Baby boomers into roles and opportunities for business and community sustainability. While BeNext.com.au is not a job placement service, it provides free, comprehensive information which helps individuals transition to jobs in the for profit and nonprofit world and the public sector. Workplace Age Management
BeNext.com.au is an online community that champions the call to engage millions of Baby boomers into roles and opportunities for business and community sustainability. While BeNext.com.au is not a job placement service, it provides free, comprehensive information which helps individuals transition to jobs in the for profit and nonprofit world and the public sector. |
2010 Election - Media Release 2 Why the sudden silence? It seems ludicrous that amongst the bargain basement bins from which the major parties are now searching for their policies, one of the most essential initiatives is not being canvassed as a major issue by either party. In February 2010 the Federal Government unveiled a $43m package to encourage mature age workers to stay longer in the workforce. The Government is already working with a cross-industry advisory committee on this very issue, finding solutions to what is obviously the biggest problem facing Australia as society ages. The fact is although people are living longer, they are ageing later. With proper planning and foresight from politicians the present baby boomer generation will still remain in the workforce well into present retirement age (a) because they want to and are capable, and (b) because they will probably have to for financial reasons. We don’t need to increase migration, we already have the workforce. All we need are policies that break down discrimination in the workforce. The present Government already has the answer, so why is it not promulgating this major initiative? What is the Opposition offering? Has it even thought about it? Ends Contact: Val French AM PS: OPSO, represented on the Government’s cross-industry form, thinks discrimination in the workplace is such a problem, it is offering two $2,000 prizes in this year’s OPSO Media Awards to help further this initiative. |
2010 Election - Media Release 1 SEAP (Seniors Electoral Advisory Panel) Health remains a major issue. The introduction of superclinics including the services of HACC will solve many of the health issues facing seniors: Superclinics, by their very nature, encourage early intervention, which is cost effective and efficient for the patient. Superclinics need to be easily accessible, and covered by Medicare 7 days a week and include the services of nurses. The irrational and non-productive discrimination against older workers must cease. As the present workforce lives longer it should automatically work longer. To ensure this, we need to educate the community, the business and professional community and in particular, human resource mangers. As a step in the right direction, OPSO has included special media awards with two $2,000 prizes to lead the way in encouraging security and opportunity for our future workforce. We need a national moratorium on the costs of utilities. One of the outcomes of the increase in the costs of utilities, is it cuts into the health of seniors who would rather starve than not pay their electricity and water costs. Pensioners are not eating properly because of the high increases in utility costs. Seniors can’t afford to use the power to keep warm during the winter. ends For further information:
Survey shows Greens understand seniors What has happened to positive ageing? (6 Oct 2008) We are on the brink of huge social and economic changes as society changes – yet in the Queensland Government’s future planning programs circulated recently there are only a couple of sentences mentioning ageing – and these are negative: no plans, and no vision of how to use an ageing society positively. Where is the passion, where are the ideas to see beyond the problems to the solutions? If we encourage employers to grow more positive about ageing – 70 is the new 60 – and if we make it economically attractive to remain in the workforce, we can find new ways of utilising job sharing, tapering of hours and mentoring. Many people choose to retire because they are tired, burnt out. Six months to a year into retirement many are bored. Why not offer a retirement–long-service leave as an option and then a return to your job in either a full or part-time capacity? Where are the plans to encourage older people to volunteer in schools, sport, nursing homes or home care by paying out-of-pocket expenses? If all the older volunteers stopped working Queensland would be in a sorry state. Where are the plans for including local and community transport to meet the needs of older people and young mothers in the suburbs and country towns? Queensland Transport had draft policies on this a year ago, establishing them as the lead agency in co-ordinating community transport state-wide. What has happened to this vision for Queensland? Why not pre-booked multi-hiring, of taxis, taxi buses and off-peak club and school and home and community care buses, so we can all get places – even to public transport? Where are the plans to meet the housing crisis as rents soar beyond the means of older people? Solving these problems is not difficult – older people themselves are a fountain of creative ideas, so why not ask them? In fact, why not harness the Seniors’ Roundtable to harness, develop and advise on these ideas? We also need a Government Department for Ageing and a Minister for Ageing devoted entirely to this portfolio. The Office for Ageing was once established to play a key role in developing such state-wide policies in preparation for an ageing society. For some reason this role has been forgotten and its staff members reduced to a skeleton maintenance team. And as for policies, once upon a time they were actually presented to representatives of seniors’ organisations for comment and changes – but then in those days there were actual policies for an ageing society.– Val French AM SINGLE
PENSIONS Dear Sir, The previous Labor Government solved this problem by appointing The Older Australians Advisory Council, backed by a branch in each state. Members of the Council were all over 60 and covered a range of older ages.They came from a broad variety of backgrounds and were recognised among their peers for their understanding of older people's issues. Throughout the term of the government, this Council consulted the community on those issues needing urgent attention and then advised the appropriate ministers. This worked well. While this budget showed an excellent grasp of all other commumnty issues, it failed to recognise the urgent need to address the inadequacy of the single age pension. If there had been an Older Australians Advisory Council, this would not have happened. Ministers would have been advised of the trust that older people had in them to increase the single pension in their first budget. – Val French AM MEDIA RELEASE 2 April 2008 – 2020 Summit OPSO president Val French has been selected to go to Canberra as part of the 2020 Summit. She will be contributing to the “strengthening communities, supporting families, social inclusion” section. She said this section is directly in keeping with all of OPSO’s work within the community. “The national and state-based councils described in this article are a basis from which we can build an integrated society that actually values its older members and includes them politically, financially and socially,” she said. “This means changes within the community, within the family, and within in the workforce. It means changes to the way we prepare for our later years, changes in how the workforce operates, changes to the way we blindly accept third-world poverty among our older community, and changes to the negative attitudes held by the general community towards ageing. “OPSO has built its policies in direct consultation with seniors in cities and rural communities. “Our innovative solutions would mean changes to attitudes, to cultures of political neglect, and to waste of human resources,” Ms French said. MEDIA RELEASE 13 March 2008 – GP shortage OPSO supports the patients in the Prime Minister’s electorate in their fight to keep their medical practice alive. OPSO president Val French said the shortage of general practitioners in that electorate was reflected across Australia. “This is partly the result of insufficient graduates to replace those retiring through age or moving to less stressful areas of medicine, but in inner city areas it is compounded by regulations making over -seas trained doctors ineligible for a Medicare Provider number for day-time practice. “A suggested six-month moratorium on these regulations would solve immediate problems. “Long term, the recommendation from Stones Corner General Practitioner Dr Janet Clarkson that there be new legislation to allow doctors who have practised for three years in rural Australia unrestricted provider privileges has a great deal of merit. “ – Val French, |
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