All a bit too much to read and I wonder how much it all costs when we know that here most on the age pension are doing it tough and I suspect same applies all over - by those who have lived worked and paid income taxes in the country they now live in or prior country like UK.

Today here we over 65's,  are targets for over payment on welfare when in reality we all have paid our pension dues over the years due to fact they still try to hide - levy for age pension of 7% on income taxes was never removed and those who worked were paying for it. Which is why Howard allowed the SFR to gt concessions as he said they had paid in and then had to back track as back room boys told him off. Cant let the peons know the truth can they!  Menzies with help from Labor moved the money in the pension fund over to General Revenue along with levy. 

Many today draw the pension when never paid a red cent in taxes. And not here that long and then back to whence they came where it goes a lot farther.  Who are the dummies?  I was told about this by a bloke high up in Treasury and he has since passed but he wrote to papers and tried his best but all parties in denial.

UK has now passed laws saying have to pay income tax for so many years to draw the state pension and those immigrants etc who never worked wont get it. Should be done here too and leave a bit more of those who paid in for themselves or spouses.

Trouble is it took til 1996 before married women had a voice on Centrelink. Age pension started in 1909 here and UK. 1948 say the changes due to WW2 costs and they looked at the savings in our Fund here in Oz and it was over 2 billion back in 1950 in 1990's currency values.  Thats why they half-inched it.

Read the first link from One Nation - an other links it all true every one of us who worked and paid our income taxes are due an age pension regardless of income elsewhere its not welfare at all but our right. they say around $500 a week. Make a lot of difference to those who havent any other form of income. 

Other links worth a read too but do download the PDF and keep it safe. And tell others. We all should demand to be put on it who have paid in and leave welfare for those who never did a days work and lived off welfare for years. Thast why so many SFR do their best to get a $1 so get the consessioins when they actually have paid for a pension etc. I get fed up with the blame game that it older folk who own houses in inner cities who push up orices for first home buyers etc. Its not. Its too many immigrants and lately foreign buyers. Bob /Carr told Howard this in 1996. But he likly not allowed to do anything seems back room boys control our elected which corrupts the system IMHO anyway. Maybe cynical but today we are being treated as mushrooms all too often.

If you are UK citizen to start with and paid in there as well as Graduated pension - should spend $20 a year and Join British Pensioners in Australia who are fighting for indexing of the state pension as its only comonwealth countrie who are no tindexed. Live in Cyrpus etc as well as Europe and gt full indexed pension rises. At long last getting to try it but Labour there who sai dwouldback it - let it go  - read up on website. Also you may not even be claiming some dont know can.  Assoc will help all to see if they can.

I guess it's all a matter of the criteria used for assessment. There's no ''one size fits all'' in examining the quality of retirement in a particular country. Certainly the wealthiest 20% will have a great retirement pretty much anywhere. The poorest 20% are likely to struggle and may have grounds for significant complaint. It's a bit rich to suggest that someone who is suffering shouldn't complain because conditons for the majority are said to be good.

Personally, I have little cause for complaint. I'm fortunate to be moderately well off and able to still work part time and earn a little. I am enjoying life. But I do raise complaint, frequently, about the massive flaws in our retirement income system that make it economically unsustainable, illogical, overly complex and costly to administer, seriously unfair, and inadequate to support those in greatest need. 

The bottom line is that we CAN do better, and in a democracy, it is the responsibility of citizens to speak out when there are failings in the system or they see scope for improvement. If we all remain complacent and silent - assuring ourselves that everything must be good because some analyst comparing us with other nations said so - how does any problem get fixed or anything improve?

There is a marked difference between ''whinging'' (which I have been unfairly accused of!) and highlighting problems or flaws in a system or areas where things could be made better.