Grey Power Greets Budget with Cautious Optimism
National president of the Grey Power Federation, Tom O’Connor has greeted the Government’s budget, announced today, with
cautious optimism for some aspects and disappointment for others.
“We are pleased to note that national superannuation has been left untouched and that the age of entitlement has not
been increased as some people have been suggesting.”
O’Connor said he was also pleased that Government contributions to the superannuation fund will be resumed in the
2020-2021 year, two years earlier than originally planned. “It probably should never have been stopped but the
resumption will be welcome.”
“The new bowel cancer screening programme is a commendable initiative but perhaps should have been introduced first to
the regions where there is the highest incidence of bowel cancer, in South Canterbury and Soutland.”
O’Connor said the big issue for Grey Power was the availability of elective surgery and, while there will be $96 million
year for the next four years that was down from the $98 million in the last years four year budget forecast.
“As the 20 district health boards are funded on a population basis it is hard to know what these figures mean in real
terms and, as I understand it, they will have to undertake 2000 procedures on their own before qualifying for any new
money.”
O’Connor said the growth in the population of people over 65 and the increase in the number of new procedures available
were not few factors and there should have been better forward planning for the serious problem some older people were
now in.
“The reality is that many of our hospitals simply can’t cope with the demand for elective surgery to keep people mobile
and in their own homes. That very serious matter needed a major injection of new money but, as I read the figures, that
has not happened. At the moment we have thousands of people who are rapidly becoming immobile while they wait for hip
and knee operations and this budget, on the face of it, does not address that problem. Once elderly people become
immobile it is often very difficult to regain mobility even after a hip or knee operation.”
O’Connor said, the announced $2.2billion for Vote Health was still only about three percent of GDP but the increase in
the Government’s tax take, rising surplus and falling debt were all signs that the economy was in a healthy state. “That
is difficult to reconcile with some recent announcements regarding off peak travel for SuperGold card holders. “Mr
English has announced $2.1 billion for transport and schools. However late last year the Ministry of Transport told
local authorities that government funding will change from individual fare reimbursement to a bulk funding model capped
at $28 million, for the next five years, with minor adjustments for inflation.
“We were also promised that there would be no further changes to the scheme but then they have announced the
introduction of a separate card for the off peak travel scheme which would only cost $5 but that has since risen to
$15.”
O’Connor said, overall, the budget would not do a lot for elderly people in the short term but there were hopeful signs
that things could improve in the years ahead if the economy continues to improve.
ends