A decent quality of life: Inquiry into the cost of living pressures on older Australians
20 March 2008
© Commonwealth of Australia 2008
ISBN 978-0-642-71905-8
View the report as a single document - (PDF 714KB)
View the report as separate downloadable parts:
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Membership of the Committee |
(PDF 22KB) |
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Acronyms and Abbreviations |
(PDF 12KB) |
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Executive summary |
(PDF 18KB) |
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Recommendations |
(PDF 21KB) |
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Chapter 1 - Introduction |
(PDF 67KB) |
Terms of reference
Conduct of the inquiry
Acknowledgement
Structure of the report
Background
Defining older people
Demographic change and economic and social challenges
The significance of cost of living rises for older people
Conclusion |
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Chapter 2 - Wealth and debt |
(PDF 42KB) |
Asset accumulation
Realisation and conversion of asset value
Debt levels
Dependents and financial pressures later in life
Reverse mortgages and equity conversion
Conclusion |
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Chapter 3 - Incomes |
(PDF 209KB) |
Superannuation savings
The importance of employment patterns
Pension provisions
The increase in partial-pension recipients
Indexation of retirement benefits
Pension indexation
Effect of indexation linked to earnings
The suitability of CPI indexation
Indexation of other retirement benefits
The adequacy of income levels for older people
Measures of retirement income adequacy
International comparisons of pension systems
The second world of retirement
The plight of the single pensioner
Single women
Pensioners that suffer the loss of a partner
Additional payments and taxation benefits
Conclusion |
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Chapter 4 - Concessions and rebates |
(PDF 46KB) |
Available concessions
Inter-state reciprocity for public transport
Indexation of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
The importance of concessions
Declining value of concessions
Conclusion |
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Chapter 5 - Cost pressures |
(PDF 140KB) |
Rising cost pressures across the community
Expenditure patterns of older people
Higher proportional expenditure on basics and essentials
Groceries and food
Transport costs
Rural and regional retirees
Consequences of high transport costs
Housing costs
Private rental accommodation
Consequences of rental stress
Social housing
Home ownership costs
Household utilities
Consequences for older people of rises in utility costs
Health care and medical expenses
The importance of health costs for older people
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Accessing medical care
Private health insurance
Waiting times
Access to services in rural and regional areas
Cost of transport
Preventative health care and nutrition measures
Dental care
Accessibility and affordability of dental care
Importance of adequate dental care
The Goods and Services Tax
Conclusion |
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Chapter 6 - Quality of life |
(PDF 77KB) |
Quality of life and aged care
In-home residential care
Residential aged care
Caring responsibilities
Costs of care
Government caring benefits
Community participation
The role of technology
Single retirees
Volunteer work in non-government organisations
Rises in transport costs
Conclusion |
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Chapter 7 - Government policies and initiatives |
(PDF 111KB) |
Pension reform
Superannuation initiatives
Accessibility of benefits of superannuation reforms
Possible additional reforms proposed during the inquiry
Labour market participation
Government initiatives to improve participation rates
Managed or phased retirement
Early retirement and vulnerable groups
The groups vulnerable to early and involuntary retirement
The need for investment in retraining and re-skilling older workers
Health and medical assistance
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Conclusion |
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Chapter 8 - Conclusion |
(PDF 49KB) |
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Appendix 1 - List of public submissions and tabled documents authorised for publication by the Committee |
(PDF 25KB) |
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Appendix 2 - Witnesses who appeared before the Committee at public hearings |
(PDF 14KB) |
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Appendix 3 - Recent Government initiatives |
(PDF 20KB) |
For further information, contact:
Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia