Golden Card For A Golden Age
Media Release
Monday 11 April 2005
Golden Card For A Golden Age
A “golden age card” for people over 65 is a feature of the New Zealand First policy for senior citizens announced by Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters today.
The new electronic card will record the holder’s entitlements and guarantee the following:
- A retirement income that will
never fall below 65 percent of the Net Average Wage for
married couples and incrementally move towards 72.5
percent.
- A comprehensive review of the method by which
superannuation is calculated to overcome historical
anomalies.
- A rise in the April 2006 adjustment to 68
percent of the Net Average Wage, for married couples. This
is an increase of $18 a week for couples. Singles will rise
by just over $10 a week.
- Change the rebate for
non-qualified spouses to bring it into line with the widows
and domestic purposes benefits.
- Reduced medical and
pharmaceutical costs for senior citizens irrespective of
location.
- Transport concessions which will make public
transport travel more affordable for senior citizens.
-
Reduced line charges for power, gas and telephones.
-
Savings incentives through generous interest rate schemes
for seniors through New Zealand owned financial
institutions.
- Raise the level of rates rebates
available and the qualifying income and require local
authorities to publicise this scheme on rate demands.
- A
voluntary discount scheme where the private sector is
encouraged to provide enhanced services to our valued senior
citizens.
In addition to the golden age card New Zealand First will address other areas of serious concern for senior citizens.
These include:
- More funding for the
eldercare sector, including specific funding ring-fenced for
the wages of caregivers in the sector.
- A review of the
size, structure and location of the future demands of the
eldercare sector to ensure appropriate forward planning for
our ageing population.
- Assure equity of access to
health and disabilities services by removing income and
asset testing for older people needing long stay geriatric
hospital care and removing asset testing for long stay
geriatric private hospital care.
- Implement and enforce
national standards for geriatric home care.
- Provide
more funds and reduced waiting times for elective
surgery.
- Ensure that senior citizens receive greater
recognition for the thousands of hours of voluntary services
they perform in the community and provide opportunities for
paid contributions that do not affect their superannuation
payments.
- Ensure that where grandparents provide for
their grandchildren under circumstances similar to foster
care they receive appropriate benefits.
- Review the
renewal of drivers licence process, with a view to making it
fairer, more cost effective and more applicable to the age
of those being tested.
Mr Peters said that after years of deception over superannuation levels by other parties New Zealand First was committed to providing a better future for senior citizens.
“Governments cannot protect citizens from all the vicissitudes of life, but there are some things that the state can provide such as a basic income that allows older people to live in dignity and comfort.
“We want this golden age card to become a universal symbol of the value of our seniors.”
Mr Peters said the estimated cost of the policies would be nominally around $700million but in reality much less because the money would be spent in the local economy.
“We know how to fund this. It represents just over 0.6 percent of present government spending, “said Mr Peters.
“The size of the bureaucracy has exploded since Labour came to office, with much of this involved in politically correct claptrap and it can be eliminated.”
“We have deliberately not gone into Labour’s big surplus to pay for our seniors policy. Instead, we intend trimming a little government fat and redirect and reprioritise some spending more effectively to get a better outcome for all.
“This policy announced today shows there is still one party in Parliament that cares about senior citizens,” said Mr Peters.
ENDS