news
Check yourself
Minister launches website to help people
prepare for the future.
T
he Life Checks website is the government’s latest attempt
to improve the lives of the ageing population.
Part of the More Choices for a Longer Life measures, it’s
about planning for the future, Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said –
physical, mental and financial.
The website includes a quiz that asks questions about different
aspects of a respondent’s life, and then emails recommendations
for improvements if need be.
“This is where we get people [to think about] what their health is
and what they need to plan for,” Wyatt says.
The financial aspect of the check comes as a result of analysis
by the Actuaries Institute of Australia, which shows that only
43 per cent of Australians are adequately preparing for retirement,
and four in 10 people aged over 55 do not have a financial plan for
the next five years, and five in 10 do not have a plan for the next
10–15 years.
“When you hit 45, you should be asking yourself, ‘Do I
have enough money when I get to 60?’ and ‘I have to plan
for another 40 years of life, have I got enough savings and
money set aside for my 40 years of life beyond retirement?’”
Wyatt says.
Wyatt sees the Life Check as a continuation of his blue sky idea
from 2017 – when he suggested that seniors take a gap year in
order to prolong a healthy life and adjust to a changing workforce.
“There are people who at 45 want to change career pathways.
And what we’re trying to do is get them to think about it, and
in that process we will also look at training programs that allow
people to retrain,” he says.
“At the age of 50, I took a redundancy and for 12 months stayed
out of the workforce. It was the best thing that I did, because
I cleared out that tiredness that you have when you work long
hours ... I was rejuvenated.
“I probably wouldn’t have gone into politics if I’d not had that
gap year.” ■
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