Snap happy … Frank Ronan and Tony Newman take pictures of Mr John Howard at Morphett Vale, South Australia. Photo: Andrew Taylor
MORPHETT VALE, South Australia (The Sydney Morning Herald), October 24, 2007:
The $4 billion in extra assistance for old age pensioners, self- funded retirees, carers and the disabled unveiled by John Howard was touted as a recognition that not all Australians are benefiting from the strong economy. But it has little to do with economics and a lot to do with politics, comments Steve Burrell in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Throwing money at the Grey Vote is one of the oldest - pardon the pun - moves in the Coalition playbook.
Howard says that the aged, the disabled and carers need protection from cost-of-living increases. Few would begrudge many of these people, particularly the latter two groups, more support.
But older voters are also crucial to whatever chance the Government has of getting back and have been the repeated target of largesse over the past few elections. Often it has been little more than blatant porkbarrelling. Why are they so important to the Coalition?
First, opinion polling and past election results show that Howard's strongest support comes from older Australians. Most polls show the over-55s are the only group to favour the Coalition and to consider him the better Prime Minister.
The Coalition holds nine out of the 10 (and 15 of the 20) "oldest" seats on the electoral map. Several key marginal seats the Coalition needs to defend, such as Dobell, Deakin, Sturt, Boothby and Braddon, have considerably higher than average proportions of voters over 65.
Second, there are lots of them and their ranks are growing. More than one-third of voters on the electoral roll are over 55 and this proportion will keep increasing.
The recent census showed that while Australia's total population rose 12 per cent between 1996 and 2006, those over 50 increased by a third. There are now around 6.2 million of these Grey and Almost-Grey voters - more than 31 per cent of the population, compared with 26 per cent in 1996.
Howard, holding an above-average share of that vote, needs to keep them happy and lock them in, allowing him to concentrate on persuading enough younger voters to come back to him.
The increase in the $107.20 utilities allowance for pensioners to $500 a year, and the more than doubling to $500 of the allowance for self-funded retirees not eligible for concessions on energy costs, rates and motor registration, is the latest in a long line of pre-election handouts to older voters.
Superannuation changes have not only eliminated tax for over-60s but given many more previously self-funded retirees - some with assets approaching $1 million - access to a part-age pension and, hence, benefits such as health concession cards and the utilities allowance.
There was a "one-off " $102.80 payment to pensioners and self-funded retirees in 2006. Cost? $200 million
And the most recent budget included another "one-off" $500 Seniors Bonus Payment, at a mere $1.3 billion.
To paraphrase a Golden Oldie hit: "I am greying, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore."
John Howard is still listening.
By Steve Burrell
Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald.
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Senior citizens are worried about more than just the cost of living: Polling by the National Seniors shows they want action on climate change File photo AFP: David Hancock,
Source: http://abc.ne.au
