I agree, but didn't Ken Henry suggest a reduction in the aged pension so it equalled the Dole?



It would be a brave government to introduce such a scheme, but not beyond the realms of possibility.



The way we cant agree, bickering and squabbling in a simple forum puts the kibosh on forming any sort of a 'union' (or political party) as you suggest.

Tanwin, please help me out here, I can't find anything on Henry talking about a reduction in the pension but that doesn't mean he didn't say it or mean it. I found this extract about self funded retirees which I find interesting. What's to stop rich retirees from blowing all their money and then claiming the pension when it's all gone, what a great idea, live the life of Riley then get the pension! Of course self funded retirees will quite rightly say that they worked hard to get it so why not?



[i]What Henry did want to see was a change in the rules so that people could no longer get access to their super savings until they reach retirement age. This is a very important change to the super system, because it stops people from retiring early, spending their super savings, and then turning up to claim the old age pension. At present, people are allowed to access their super when they turn 60 and Henry estimates that, on average, people draw down about one third of total super savings before they reach the age of 65. [/i]

http://businessspectator.mobi/bs.nsf/Article/superannuation-tax-Ken-Henry-pension-Wayne-Swan-pd20100520-5M75N?OpenDocument&src;=is&cat;=professional%20services

I saw the same on the mid-day news Toot. Scares me too. Proves more and more that governments are making rules as they go, ( did ya hear that, Krudd?? ) I can't find any reference to to a ruling which gives a government the right to reduce wages.

Can anyone shed any light on this....??



Thanks.

Me either Gizmo, let's hope they don't have the power to do it. But I've got funny feeling they may have the power to freeze them. Holy Moley!

Tanwin, please help me out here, I can’t find anything on Henry talking about a reduction in the pension but that doesn’t mean he didn’t say it or mean it.



I wish I could help you but I'm having a senior moment and cant recall who said it. I believe it was one of our journalist folk who found it in the Henry report.

I did read it somewhere but can't remeber where--it was in the Henry thingy--but have a look here --I haven't had time to read it all but here is a site I found





http://www.google.com.au/search?q=henry+report+and+reducing+the+age+pension+to+dole+level+au&rlz;=1I7DAAU_en&ie;=UTF-8&oe;=UTF-8&sourceid;=ie7&redir;_esc=&ei;=Vg8QTIyjEYPBrAeBleCcCQ

Thanks for the link PB, you probably know Michael Pascoe, he's been on the tele, he's a finance person. Still looking



Michael Pascoe gets a little more controversial in his latest column. He suggests that it may be a good thing if the dole as well as the age pension is scrapped.



I think Tony Abbott might be on to something with this idea to scrap the dole for people under 30, forcing them to move to the commodities boom frontier. But that would be only the start of it - the logical extension is to scrap the age pension.



Not right away, of course - there are too many of us voting baby boomers to risk that - but an Abbott government could phase the pension out by giving Gen X and Y fair notice now. I can hear the Opposition Leader explaining it now:





http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/b/michaelpascoe/856/abbotts-next-move-scrap-the-age-pension/

Hi Toot thanks for the link--interesting--I don't agree with the stopping the dole for all under 30 however--there does need to be a good look into it though as there are so many that just will NOT work--and have never worked--and have become unemployable, due to their own attitudes--these they really do need to crack down on--However I do believe that it would lead to more crime done by these types.



As far as the saving for your retirement--thats all fine IF you don't have bad luck ie--having to stop work for quite some time to look after very ill family members etc--which does cut down on the amount you can save--till you are able to return to work--and IF you have super --which I never had.

I agree, a happy retirement outcome depends a lot on luck and health, people shouldn't throw stones unless they have walked in anothers shoes. About not paying the dole to under 30's, it sounds ideal but there should be a safety net for genuine cases. I get so mad when I see those little turds on the surfboards who have no intension of ever getting a job, they just surf their life away and thumb their noses at us.

Yes there are plenty of surfers around here--Toot--and aslo so many of the young ones --not all--but a LOT--that with their tatts and such and their attiudes you would never want to employ--maybe thats their game?



I also know of 1 or more that just keep having kids to different fathers so they can get the child support--one is 44 and has NEVER worked ever--she has just had her latest child taken from her and is now on the Dole she only had the last one as her others were over the age where she no longer got paid child support--I feel for these children as they grown up with the same values

Just a suggestion that could never see the light of day, in Australia.

How about doing away with the dole for under 30s & replacing it with an

automatic call up into the infrastructure Army. They would be housed,

clothed & fed & paid a salary of $100P/W. They could be given 1 week

leave every 3 months to find a job, if they wanted. We would do away

with 5,000 employees of Centerlink & be the only Country, in the World,

with 100% employment in 3 months flat.

I like that idea Innes, but I doubt either political party would touch it with a barge pole.

Kevin Rudd isn't all bad. I stumbled across this today, I'm hoping Tony doesn't decide to change it. This is an excerpt from the article:



[i]After years of neglect, the Government has overhauled the pension system to make it adequate and sustainable for the millions of age and disability pensioners, carers and veterans who depend on it.



Last March pension indexation increase was driven by wages growth in the six months to December 2009.



Pensions are indexed twice a year to the highest increase of three measures: the consumer price index (CPI), the pensioner living cost index, and growth in male total average weekly earnings (MTAWE).

The Government's Pension Reforms increased the effective benchmark for singles from 25 per cent to 27.7 per cent of MTAWE.[/i]

http://www.alp.org.au/news/pensions-increase-20-march

The government has missed out giving a rise to the Comsuper a few times,when I inquired I was told that cost of living had not ,risen, So I will wait and see how much we get on July 1st, and then Centre Link takes 1/2 back





jessej