Lotto winners criticized for attempting to retain their pension

A pair of elderly retirees, who recently won $1 million in the lottery, faced criticism for questioning their continued eligibility for a pension.

The issue, raised in The Sydney Morning Herald’s column by money columnist Noel Whittaker on Wednesday, quickly garnered attention after screenshots of the headline “We won the lottery, but lost our pension. Could we have prevented this?” circulated online.

Many internet users were incredulous at what they saw as a tone-deaf complaint. “You couldn’t make it up,” remarked The Guardian’s Josh Butler.

“My God,” commented Justin Simon, chair of Sydney YIMBY.

Activist Drew Pavlou added, “This is literally peak Australiana. Boomers complaining they no longer qualify for the pension after winning $1 million in the lottery.”

Others joined in, with writer Rachel Withers quipping, “Someone please take away their lottery winnings so they can still receive their pension.”

In their column, the couple, aged 73 and 67 and both retired, stated that they were previously receiving the full-age pension.