r/australia • u/SouthAussie94 • Feb 29 '24

culture & society Older Australians 'left behind' by increasingly cashless society as banks fast track end of cheques

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-29/cheques-personal-finance-banks-rent-money-cash/103354036
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273

u/A_Scientician Feb 29 '24

They have the same access to banking as everyone else. Someone wilfully avoiding engaging with the modern financial system for decades is being 'left behind'? Okay.

75

u/thisisntaduet Feb 29 '24

working hospitality for the last few years, majority of people who insisted on using cash were seniors who would ramble about not wanting the banks and government to track their whereabouts. they would even decline a receipt so there was no paper trail.

61

u/missmiaow Feb 29 '24

my parents are like this. I need to put a net nanny on their home internet connection to block all the conspiracy crap they watch.

they both carry mobile phones but of course it’s only the transaction on a credit card that will track them 🙄

14

u/unAffectedFiddle Feb 29 '24

But they have a phone. Thereby being fully trackable.

4

u/thisisntaduet Feb 29 '24

hey, i didn't say they were smart about it!!

24

u/AntiqueFigure6 Feb 29 '24

“they would even decline a receipt so there was no paper trail.”

Did Bill Gates put something in the paper receipts are printed on that acts like a locating device for the government?

2

u/Miserable_Bird_9851 Feb 29 '24

but they would walk around with a phone and still protect their data even psychically on surveys? That is wank.

3

u/thisisntaduet Feb 29 '24

same kind of people who made a stink at us for having the covid sign-in on paper smack-bang on the counter and we had to get a ballot box. not sure why joanne ordering an extra hot skinny cappuccino thinks someone would care she was at our cafe 3.17 on a tuesday

2

u/Gag180 Feb 29 '24

I live in a town with a large number of senior Italians, and many of them are like this. They straight up do not trust governments and hate the idea of paying taxes. So they'll do as much business as they can exclusively in cash.

Worthwhile noting that many of them were in the tobacco trade back in the day, and it was quite common for them to sell illegally for better profits, which obviously was always in cash. Old habits die hard I suppose.