By South Burnett Advocate Editorial Team
Your decades of experience aren’t a liability — they’re your greatest asset. Yet across Australia, too many are quietly sidelined, pushed out, or made to feel irrelevant. Not because they can’t keep up, but because they’ve crossed an invisible age line.
You’ve led teams, built businesses, trained apprentices, worked in trades, hospitality, education, or healthcare. You’ve navigated industries you switched into mid-career. You’ve survived downturns, raised families, and adapted to technologies that didn’t exist when you started. And still, you’re overlooked for projects, interviews, or promotions.
Killing the “Wealthy Boomer” Myth
The “cashed-up Boomer” stereotype doesn’t reflect reality for many Australians over 60.
If you began your career in the ’70s or early ’80s, you worked for years before compulsory superannuation. That’s a head start in retirement savings you never had.
Yes, house prices were lower — but interest rates soared above 15%, even hitting 18%. Mortgage stress wasn’t a headline. It was your everyday reality. You juggled school fees, groceries, healthcare, and responsibilities without the safety nets younger generations now assume are standard.
For many today, the Age Pension isn’t a fallback. It’s the only option. That isn’t personal failure — it’s the result of a system that changed the rules mid-game.
When the Bills Don’t Stop but the Jobs Do
Understanding this financial reality reveals why age discrimination cuts so deep. For growing numbers of older Australians, working past 60 isn’t about “keeping busy.” It’s about keeping the lights on. Yet the job market often assumes you’re winding down.
The reality? Many are still paying mortgages, supporting adult children, or covering rising healthcare costs. Work is survival. And that’s when discrimination hits hardest.
The New Face of Ageism
This financial pressure makes every instance of age discrimination more devastating. Age discrimination rarely announces itself. It hides behind friendly words and invisible barriers.
You see it in job ads seeking “digital natives” or “young, dynamic teams.” In résumés marked “overqualified” and quietly discarded. In training opportunities that never arrive. In restructures where older workers are “let go” — only for a younger hire to step into a rebranded version of the same role.
And you feel it in the subtext: the jokes about technology, the nudges toward retirement, the promotions that never come.
But ageism doesn’t just target traditional corporate careers. It affects every type of worker, regardless of their path through the workforce.
Beyond the Corporate Lens
Not everyone climbed the corporate ladder. Some built businesses from scratch. Some changed careers — not once, but multiple times — adapting to shifting industries, family needs, or personal growth. That’s not instability. That’s versatility.
Many paused their careers to raise families — mothers and fathers alike. That wasn’t a break from responsibility. It was a different kind of leadership: unpaid, undervalued, and essential. Returning to work after caregiving isn’t a step back. It’s a step forward, with deeper empathy, sharper time management, and renewed drive.
Changing careers isn’t a red flag. Whether you shifted industries by choice or necessity, you carried your experience with you — and learned new skills along the way. That’s the kind of agility Australia needs.
Yet regardless of career path — whether corporate executive, small business owner, career changer, or returning caregiver — all face the same underlying problem when ageism strikes.
The Cost of Discarded Wisdom
When employers overlook experienced workers, the consequences extend far beyond individual hardship. The problem isn’t just personal — it’s national.
Australians over 60 steered businesses through the Whitlam dismissal, the ’80s recession, the GST rollout, the mining boom, the GFC, and multiple market crashes. You know instability because you’ve navigated it — and delivered results in the middle of it.
Discard that, and you discard institutional memory. You lose leaders who can spot early warning signs and problem-solvers who’ve already learned from past mistakes.
When companies choose short-term savings over experience, they weaken themselves — and the economy.
“Experience isn’t a relic — it’s the engine that keeps Australia moving forward.”
Smart employers are beginning to recognize this truth, transforming how they view and utilize experienced workers.
Why Experience Is Your Best Asset
Valuing experienced workers isn’t just a matter of fairness—it’s a smart business strategy.
Businesses that embrace age diversity tap into a deep well of institutional knowledge, problem-solving skills, and proven leadership. These are the employees who have steered teams through economic downturns, adapted to major technological shifts, and built client relationships over decades.
Instead of viewing them as “overqualified,” forward-thinking companies see them as mentors who can guide younger talent, bridge skills gaps, and bring a steady hand to new projects.
By creating inclusive hiring practices and fostering intergenerational collaboration, businesses can unlock this immense value. This means moving beyond coded language in job ads, implementing objective interview processes, and building mentorship programs that allow wisdom to flow in both directions.
In doing so, employers can not only combat ageism but also build a more resilient and innovative workforce equipped to succeed in any economy.
However, change won’t happen unless we address the culture of silence that allows age discrimination to flourish unchecked.
Breaking the Silence
What makes age discrimination dangerous is its invisibility. People rarely call it out. Older workers often accept being overlooked, told they’re “too senior,” or excluded from opportunities. Sometimes it feels easier to absorb the blow than to fight it.
But silence has a cost. Each time ageism goes unchallenged, it reinforces the false idea that skill has an expiry date.
“Each time ageism goes unchallenged, it reinforces the false idea that skill has an expiry date.”
Breaking this silence starts with recognizing your own worth — something that’s easy to forget when facing constant rejection.
Remember What You’ve Done
It’s easy to internalise the narrative — to wonder if maybe you are less relevant. But think about what your career really says:
You’ve adapted from typewriters to tablets, from fax machines to Zoom. You’ve built client bases from scratch. You’ve hit impossible deadlines — and kept your team intact. You’ve had the courage to start over when industries collapsed. You’ve raised families, retrained, switched careers, and mastered new challenges along the way.
You’ve proved again and again that experience isn’t just time served — it’s resilience, adaptability, and perspective.
This personal strength becomes even more powerful when we understand the broader implications of the fight against ageism.
Why This Fight Matters Now
This isn’t just about fairness in hiring. It’s about ensuring Australia doesn’t throw away what it needs most: the ability to think long-term, solve problems under pressure, and lead with a steady hand.
Younger talent brings energy and fresh ideas. But without seasoned voices beside them, that energy risks burning out or heading in the wrong direction. The best workplaces combine both. The worst pit one against the other.
Moving Forward With Pride
Working past 60 doesn’t mean you planned badly. It means you’re living in an economy that shifted under your feet. It means you still have more to give — and you’re willing to show up and do it.
“Working past 60 doesn’t mean you planned badly. It means the economy shifted under your feet.”
Don’t let anyone convince you your career is winding down because of a birthdate. Your value has never been more needed.
Age discrimination is real. But so is your power to fight it — with your voice, your presence, and your example.
Because the next time someone tries to quietly edge you out, you’ll know the truth: experience isn’t a relic. It’s the engine that keeps Australia moving forward — and it’s time employers, policymakers, and communities recognised that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How common is age discrimination in Australian workplaces?
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, more than one in four Australians over 60 report experiencing age discrimination at work — whether in hiring, promotion, or training opportunities.
Are many older Australians still paying mortgages?
Yes. ABS data shows that around half of Australians aged 55 to 64 are still paying off a mortgage, compared with less than 15% a generation ago. Rising house prices and delayed retirement mean home ownership is no guarantee of financial security in later life.
What does the law say about age discrimination in hiring?
Under the Age Discrimination Act 2004, it is unlawful for employers to treat someone less favourably because of age in recruitment, training, or employment. Despite this, many older workers report subtle forms of exclusion, such as being labelled “overqualified.”
How many older Australians rely on the Age Pension?
Services Australia data shows that the majority of Australians over 65 rely on the Age Pension either in full or part. For many, it remains the main source of retirement income, reflecting decades without compulsory superannuation contributions early in their careers.
Why is workforce participation of older workers important to the economy?
Treasury analysis estimates that lifting mature-age workforce participation by just 3% could add billions of dollars annually to the national economy. Retaining experienced workers reduces skills shortages, supports younger colleagues, and strengthens business resilience.
About South Burnett Advocate:
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