AAWAA has been invited by the Australian National Audit Office to provide input into their forthcoming performance audit of the administration of the age pension. The audit is expected to be tabled in Parliament in October 2025, and is open for public contributions via the ANAO’s website until 27 April 2025; however, the ANAO encouraged AAWAA to provide a detailed contribution by 24 January 2025 to ensure that our contribution informs their approach to evidence collection and analysis.
We therefore conducted a series of case studies in order to help identify the links between systemic economic and social disadvantage experienced by women over the course of our lifetimes and to underscore the need for administrative processes that are sensitive to the contexts and challenges faced by women needing to access the age pension. Our submission focusses on the lived experience of women seeking financial security through the age pension and our inputs are based on what is commonly known and accepted in research relating to the female lifecourse as well as reports provided directly to us by individual women.
We encourage you to read our full submission, below, but our powerful case studies ultimately point to common problems with the administration of the age pension:
- Inefficiency and lack of coordination within Services Australia, resulting in undue stress and a sense of administrative neglect for the client.
- Emotional and financial impact of administrative errors and the lack of timely, accurate information and support, especially for widowed female recipients.
- Inability to account for female applicants’ typically complex life circumstances and convoluted case histories.
- Inadequacies in the support system for applicants and the bureaucratic barriers faced by women in financial need during the application process.
Providing tailored support services with a single, dedicated, properly trained, and properly resourced case officer would make the system more accessible and equitable for women with complex case histories. This would assist all women applying for the age pension, but would assist particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or from regional areas, who may lack the digital literacy to easily navigate Services Australia’s online platforms, and/or who may also lack reliable and convenient access to those platforms. Expanding in-person support options – such as telephone assistance, outreach programs, or dedicated services for older women in rural areas – would address these barriers and improve equity in access. We argue that Services Australia must also retain sufficient in-office staff to address the needs of women who struggle with digital platforms or who need a single person who can listen and accurately channel inquiries to the correct place.
Ideally, Services Australia would provide small case management teams that could develop a holistic understanding of a woman’s situation. Such teams would include an eligibility assessment officer, an accountant who would correctly calculate a woman’s financial situation, and an ongoing case manager who would assist the woman with her application and deal with any complications that might arise during her time on the age pension. Personalised approaches will improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and ethical delivery of the age pension to Australian women, saving time, money, and resources, and preserving the dignity of recipients as they attempt to access this vital social safety net.
