Ageism - alive and well and living in Australia

To give Rudd his due, he has announced a $43 million package aimed at retraining and reskilling older workers who have lost, or are in danger of losing their jobs. However, it all seems rather patronising to those for whom skill is not the issue.

And if incidents of age discrimination still exist in government, as just outlined, then what hope is there for private industry?

My 60-year-old friend suggests that it is time for Grey Power to assert itself.

“We could boycott restaurants where there are no mature workers,” she says. “Throughout history, mature women worked in the hospitality industry.  Yet now it’s difficult to find a restaurant with mature staff. The exclusion is so absolute that the hospitality industry lobbied the government to import workers claiming, unbelievably, a ‘skill shortage’.”

Rudd’s proposal for a Consultative Forum to foster attitudinal change sounds promising, but its agenda is vague and we have heard nothing since it was announced more than two months ago, presumably pushed aside by more pressing agendas as the election approaches. Tax incentives are no use unless the jobs are there.

And how do we protect those who lose substantial assets, including their homes, because of discrimination in their 40s. Where will they be in their 50s and 60s?

The government should be leading the way. Why, after all, is there so much unemployment when agencies such as Consumer Affairs, the Ombudsman, the Australian Tax Office and Centrelink apparently have difficulty coping with their workloads?

Research clearly demonstrates that older people are more motivated, more likely to complete tasks on time, take less sick days and have greater loyalty than their younger counterparts.

Ageism is the final barrier to be addressed in Australian society and it’s time for action instead of words.