COTA Victoria is keen to know what you think about the Victorian Government’s Household Concession Program and how well it serves older Victorians. Your input will help us advocate to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing on possible enhancements to the program. We are particularly interested in: How well do the concessions offered meet […]
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) have welcomed the federal budget, which last night delivered vital cost of living support for older Victorians and will deliver immediate benefits as we enter a challenging winter period. The Commonwealth Government announced key initiatives to support older people, including a historic $11.3B investment
COTA Victoria is very concerned by a massive rise in the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) and its potential impact on older Victorians. While the VDO is not meant to be the best available price to consumers, more needs to be done to ensure older people can access and receive the support that they need to
Specialist help for grandparent, foster and kinship carers If you’re a grandparent, foster or kinship carer, Centrelink’s specialist Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers can help you to access support. They provide: tailored information about payments and services help to arrange appointments with specialist staff referrals to community organisations. To speak to an adviser, call
Older people were already the largest cohort receiving the JobSeeker payment (formerly Newstart) prior to COVID-19. Many older people have been further affected by job losses and reduced hours since the emergence of the pandemic. We have a long way to go to improve outcomes for older Victorians and challenge ageism in recruitment and in
During the Seniors Festival, seniors usually benefit from eight days of free travel. But because last year’s festival was an online event, the free travel week was postponed to March this year. Victorian Seniors and Carer Card holders can travel for free on Metro and regional public transport across Victoria from Sunday 21 March to
The Victorian Seniors Card program is a free program available to all eligible Victorians. To be eligible for a Victorian Seniors Card you must: be 60 years of age or older be an Australian citizen live primarily in Victoria. The Seniors Card program is managed by a Victorian Government team called Seniors Online. This is
Update (23 March 2023): A second round of the $250 Power Saving Bonus has been announced. Learn more here. Original story (13 February 2021): The $250 Power Saving Bonus is a once-off payment available to Victorian households with at least one concession cardholder in residence. All pension types will be eligible – age pension, disability support pension,
Each year, COTA Australia provides a pre-budget submission to Treasury, making recommendations about measures that should be included in the next federal budget to better support older people. COTA Australia’s 2020–2021 pre-budget submission was submitted to Treasury back in January. Typically, the budget is handed down in May, so in normal circumstances, this would have
High rents, difficulty finding secure employment and an inadequate age pension: these are among the reasons more older Victorians are becoming homeless. COTA Victoria’s CEO, Tina Hogarth-Clarke, addressed these and other issues when she spoke to the Victorian Parliament’s Social and Legal Issues Committee’s inquiry into homelessness in early July. Ms Hogarth-Clarke presented to the
The Victorian Seniors Card is administered by our Victorian State Government. It allows free public transport travel for card holders. There are changes coming to the way this system works. This is what you need to know: New Seniors Card holders must register with Public Transport Victoria to receive free travel vouchers Existing Seniors Card
Welcome relief on pension deeming rates – Council on the Ageing will continue discussions with government on improving the process in future Australia’s peak body and leading advocate for older Australians, COTA Australia, said today’s announcement of a reduction in deeming rates used for the age pension income test will be welcome news for over
