The eligible population for aged pensions comprised persons aged 65 years and over and for disability and sickness benefits, comprised persons aged 15 to 64 years. Disability and sickness benefits included disability support pension, sickness allowance, mobility allowance, and carer allowance.
Source:
Centrelink, Canberra (unpublished data).
The level of receipt of income support in a community provides a measure of the amount of poverty. The level of receipt of specific benefits, such as age pension or sickness or disability benefits, provides an indication of the number of people who are both economically disadvantaged, and have high need for health services.
The age pension is both income and assets tested. It is currently payable at age 65 years. In June 2004, 610,537 people in NSW received the age pension. This constituted 67.3% of the total NSW population in the eligible age group. The Hunter & New England and Sydney South West Health Areas had the largest proportion of older people receiving the age pension (75.5% and 73.4%) while the Northern Sydney & Central Coast Health Area had the smallest proportion (52.6%). Older people living in inner regional areas (69%) were more likely to receive the age pension than those living in metropolitan (65.8%) or outer regional and remote (66.1%) areas.
Government benefits for people who need support as a result of disability or sickness include disability support pension (for people unable to work for two years due to illness, injury, or disability), sickness allowance (for people temporarily unable to work due to illness, injury, or disability), mobility allowance (for people with disabilities to help them travel to work, training, or job search activities) and carer allowance (for people who care for a child with a disability at home). In June 2004, 347,405 people in NSW received disability or sickness benefits. This comprised 7.7% of people in the eligible age group. The North Coast Health Area had the largest proportion of residents receiving these benefits (12.6%) and the Northern Sydney & Central Coast Health Area had the smallest proportion (4.6%). People in the eligible age group living in outer regional and remote (10.8%) and inner regional (9.8%) areas were more likely to receive these benefits than those living in metropolitan areas (6.6%).
Walker A, Abello A. Changes in the health status of low income groups in Australia: 1977-78 to 1995. Discussion paper no. 53. Canberra: National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, University of Canberra, 2000.
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Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales -
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