Australian Pensioners Receive $1400 - Couples $2100 Payment

The Australian Federal Government unveiled a package in wake of the global financial crisis. Single pensioners are set to receive a $1400 and couples a $2100 lump sum payment, and it will be paid to all categories of pensioners and carers.

Families receiving family tax benefit, youth allowance and abstudy will also benefit by getting a payment of $1000 for each eligible child in their care.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the payments were ahead of a “long-term pension reform” that will be delivered in the 2009/10 budget.

The Federal Government said this is the first time lump sum payments have been extended to include disability support pensioners. Low-income pensioners forced to forgo potentially life-saving drugs because they can no longer afford the co-payment will get a measure of relief in December when their bank accounts are credited with the Government's one-off lump-sum payment.

However, with age pensions now being eroded by the highest underlying rate of inflation in 17 years, and their ability to access essential drugs in decline, many older Australians must be wondering how they will survive the wait before Ken Henry hands down his recommendations on age and disability pensions next year.

The argument that increasing payments to low-income earners is a good way to stimulate spending in a slowing economy is now accepted by the Government, the Opposition and the Greens. It is hard to imagine a macroeconomic argument with broader support.

No wonder Australia is considered the "lucky country". Its a shame America cannot put forth a similiar package, which would surely aid their rapidly failing economy.

However when increasing pension payments was good for the pensioners it was not such a high priority, but now that it is seen as a way to help the Australian economy it is universally applauded.

For those who want to know when they will receive the pension bonus money - the answer is in the fortnight beginning 8 December 2008.

In Other Australian News

ABOUT two thirds of people in public rental housing are not in the workforce or looking for work, a new report has found. The low rates are linked to old age, disability and poor health, as well as a lack of skills and childcare, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report shows.

The institute surveyed about 13,000 public housing renters between March and April last year to get a picture of 330,000 households in the sector nation-wide. About two-thirds of respondents were not working at any level. This was the reverse of the general population where three quarters of people are in the labour force. Old age, disability and ill-health were the main barriers that were preventing workforce participation for 75 per cent of unemployed public housing respondents.

Standards New Zealand has published the revised NZS 8134:2008 Health and disability services Standards, with approval from the Minister of Health.

The revised Standards will be mandatory from 1 June 2009, for those health and disability services, residential services, mental health services, rest homes, and hospitals required to comply with the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001, says Gillian Grew, Chief Advisor (Services), at the Ministry of Health. The Standards establish safe levels of care for consumers, set out the rights of consumers, and ensure service providers are clear about their responsibilities for good outcomes. 'Health providers can use the Standards to streamline the auditing process used to comply with the Act, and to remain up to date with best practice. Other health and disability services should also consider adopting the Standards,' says Gillian.

The Australian Government announced a $12 million national grants program to improve respite services for carers in their communities.

“This is about allowing carers to have time to themselves or get a much needed break as they give so much to others,” the Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot said.

Almost 2.6 million Australians provide care for family members or friends with a disability, mental illness, chronic condition or who are frail aged. Of these about 500,000 are primary carers – the people who provide the most care. Mrs Elliot made the announcement at the launch of annual Carers Week (19-25 October). She joined Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd and Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Ms Jenny Macklin to mark the occasion. The $12 million over two years is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to carers through the National Respite for Carers Program, which is providing $194 million in 2008-09.

Experts in abestos law say they're shocked by the legal obstacles in Tasmania for people seeking compensation for asbestos-related diseases.

Unions Tasmania met interstate lawyers at a seminar in Hobart this morning to discuss how Tasmanians with the disease could get a better deal. Tasmania is the only state where asbestos disease sufferers can only file one compensation claim. Unions Tasmania's Simon Cocker says the problem is damages are paid on levels of disability when a claim is made and asbestos-related diseases get more serious with time.

"Even though the disease advances and you become more disabled you can't go back and claim again," Mr Cocker said.

"The law as it is currently structured puts a number of hurdles and barriers in the way of a sufferer of mesothelioma getting compensation in fact some of them are so difficult it's likely that someone will be diagnosed and will die before some of these things are even sorted out."

New Zealand News - Arthritis is the single biggest cause of disability in this country, yet the medicines that could help reduce the burden of the disease are not currently being made available. In particular, it is those people affected by inflammatory forms of arthritis, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis who are missing out on drugs proven to be beneficial for their conditions. "We are fighting for access to drugs that people in other OECD countries have access to", said Sandra Kirby, Chief Executive for Arthritis New Zealand. "Currently only 12percent of our public health funding goes to medicines, compared to an 18percent average in the OECD."