AUSTRALIA | The cost of living crisis will remain the top issue for Australian seniors in the lead up to the 2025 general election.
Polling commissioned by COTA Australia has shown that older people ranked the cost of groceries and other day-to-day expenses; energy bills and other utility bills; and healthcare and medicines as the top three issues that will affect how they vote in the upcoming election.
Another cost of living pressure, the cost and availability of housing, ranked as the fourth most important issue for people over 50.
COTA Australia Chief Executive, Patricia Sparrow, said the polling should act as a wake up call to politicians ahead of the election.
“We know cost-of-living pressures are hurting people of all ages, and older people are no different. The top three issues older voters will have on their minds when they’re standing at the ballot box are all cost-of-living related,” Sparrow said.
“We’ve already seen some good cost-of-living measures announced by our politicians, but we’re looking forward to seeing more, including on things like the introduction of a Seniors Dental Benefit Scheme and targeted housing support.”
Sparrow said that people need to see real, tangible action and solutions.
“The cost of living pressures are really hurting people, especially those on fixed incomes like the pension.”
Sparrow added that older Australians also want to see action to address ageism, with six in ten people saying Australia needs a national plan to support an ageing Australia and tackle ageism.
Seventy-two percent of participants aged 50 and over also believe that ageism locks older people out of the workforce. The figures increases to 75 percent of people who are not in paid employment.
“We’ve got an ageing population and an ageism problem. It’s a dangerous combination that our politicians need to start addressing quickly,” said Sparrow
“Ageism impacts everyone. It locks people out of work, it impacts our healthcare – it can impact people in every area of their lives. The obvious impacts are on the people experiencing ageism themselves, but the flow on effects impact all of us.”
The polling found that 30 percent of participants say they have experienced ageism in the past five years. That increases to 40 percent of older Australians who are in serious financial difficulty.
“This is a very worrying statistic that our politicians can’t afford to ignore. We need a national plan to tackle ageism put in place so we can start seriously investigating and addressing these issues.”
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