Jo McManus interviews Anthony Albanese and Ian Henschke

Interview courtesy of 6PR.

HOST: So earlier today we were talking with Ian Henschke from National Seniors Australia, and he made the suggestion that if we change the way the pension system works so that pensioners could work more and pay tax, a bit like the New Zealand system, pensioners get to work, pay tax, put money back into the economy. Wouldn’t that be a great place to get qualified nurses who have retired? Have a listen;

IAN HENSCHKE, NATIONAL SENIORS AUSTRALIA: (audio upsot) What he could do is say this is a COVID measure and simply bring it in for three years and see how it works. When those people work, they will pay income tax, they will then have a tax on the superannuation, they’ll spend money – GST, 10 cents, it will actually stimulate the economy.

HOST: What do you think?

ALBANESE: Well, I always listen to Ian because he’s a very, very sensible fellow. And he always is looking for practical measures. At the moment pensioners can earn up to $480 a fortnight from memory, I think it is without it having an impact…

HOST: And a work bonus is 300 a fortnight – we’ve had a tip that the government are going to put that up to 500. I don’t know if that’s true.

ALBANESE: Oh, who knows? So they made announcements after the budget, though about things that weren’t in there?

HOST: But I’m more. I’m more interested in what you’re going to do.

ALBANESE: It’s a practical measure. That is one of the things that is certainly worthy of consideration. I know I have a friend of mine, Lucille McKenna is her name, she wouldn’t mind me mentioning her. She was the last ever mayor of Ashville Council before it was amalgamated. She’s one of those people who during the pandemic, a nurse retired, who went back to work, helping out because they didn’t have enough nurses to basically look after people.

HOST: But if she was a pensioner. She’d be penalised for going back in that trough.

ALBANESE: Because, it’s a practical suggestion, which is worthy of proper consideration, I don’t sign off on things on the basis of a…

HOST: It’s something that you would look at seriously, for all pensioners not just for nurses.