Hi, The other day when I heard about the increases in rego,petrol etc. I thought the same 'there goes the precious $30 I was to receive. Thought it might change my life a bit for the better - fat chance, am seriously considering moving to Northern NSW, selling the car. What the hell can one do?? If I had to do it all over again, I would asking for customers to pay me in cash. Maggie.

I agree Margott, the situation has been critical for some considerable time. Anyone on government benefits is just not able to live on the money they receive. It is barely enough to cover food and lodging (if you own your home or have cheap rent). I firmly believe that many of our senior citizens are living in poverty, denying themselves many of the small comforts so many of us take for granted.

The result is that they are forced to lie to Centrelink, accept charity from family and friends, fail to declare income, conceal assets etc., etc. Australia is forcing many of its seniors to become liars, cheats and criminals......just to survive on a daily basis.

Unless you win lottery or are left money in a deceased estate, you have little or no chance of improving your lot in life while on government benefits....AND the situation only looks liable to worsen. Not EVERYONE is in this situation, but think of those who have had their nest-egg eroded over the years by divorce, illness, redundancy, bad business decisions or even social ills like gambling or addiction.

Any chance for the average Australian to have a dignified lifestyle in retirement would have necessitated a rise of about $100 per week - no doubt impossible for the government (or the opposition if they were in government) given the state of the global economy.

I do agree --food / Elect / rates / petrol---everything has already gone up and has well gone over the the amount we are to yet receive. I also agree the lousy amount you are allowed to earn is just crazy, as on todays wages it would not even allow you to be paid for a days work without loosing some pension. However it will be the biggest rise --lump sum wise--- that we have had for decades.

True, PlanB...... but, ONLY if you are single.

Tasmania has 40% of its population on benefits of some kind. On July 1st electricity is going up 7% after already having gone up they say 27% since Jan 2008 which is actually a myth as it has gone up a lot more but what are a few porkies to politicians who don't have to worry about how much their power bill is?



then the Labor government has in its wisdom taken the water and sewerage away from the Councils and these will all go up by 10% on July 1st and then 10% a year for next 3 years following. Plus Rates are going up the Councils said as they are losing huge amounts and need to make up the difference - percentage unknown!



That will more than take up the measly $5 per person for married folk and the $30 for a single is looking a bit less inviting I bet.



I am sure they have more little surprises up their sleeves for the poor to pay to once again subsidise the better off as our user pays is backwards in favour of the better off - instead of getting more expensive as you use more resources - it gets cheaper so the better off are subsidized by the poorer folk who cant possibly save as the connection charges are higher then the concession they get.



The married and gay couples will not get ahead with $5 each come September as prices this week in the supermarket were again well up and not by a cent or two on any item either so already worse off today.



What campaign will the Pensioners run in the future - they have done their dash over demonizing the marrieds for getting more to live on - ignoring completely that 2 people need twice as much a one to live on apart from the roof over ones head which is taken care of or was separately and of course the concessions are per household so shared by how ever many live within and some of them are on single pension too each which makes the whole exercise on marrieds very unfair but greed and selfishness worked a treat and 30 pieces were awarded - maybe a bit tongue in cheek by the politicians for being Judases to their fellows?

[b][color=purple]Tasmania has 40% of its population on benefits of some kind[/color][/b]

....

That's an incredible percentage , BigVal! Any idea of what the breakdown is?

Unemployed, OAP, etc. Just curious.

No Koko just that this the figure they always quote re those on benefits.

Everything you have all said about people on the pension not being able to cope etc, is so true. Spare a thought though for all the women in Australia whose only source of income is the widow allowance.

This is roughly 60- 100 dollars a fortnigh less than the pension and yet they are told by the government it is an adequate income to live on while looking for work.

Who wants to employ a woman who may have never worked and so has no experience or who has been out of the workforce for maybe 13 or 14 years or longer.

Until politicians are forced to live on the pension amount (or the amount of the widow allowance)for a period of three to six months without accessing any of their parliamentary perks , without accessing any family help or super , they will never understand the plight of those who are struggling.

Toot - those on the married rate of any benefit are a lot worse off - widows come nowhere in the reckoning of Kruddy - he hates idle hands and loves working families.





Married pensioners were $50 a week each worse off and come September will be behind by $80+ a week each worse off simply because they got wed.



Married Newstart without kids are even worse off again as no kids to live off. Only those with several kids are better off on the dole.

We can thank the national seniors for pushing the $30 raise they kept on using this amount as a benchmark. and lo and behold this is what the single pensioners got and of course the govt thought they could get away with giving the couples even less.

And a bonus side effect was the govt managed once again to find a way to divide and conquer the seniors. You got a whole $32 and we only got $10 and we fell for it.

Divide and Conquer is the name of the game.

I might be wrong but I would imagine that married couples would fare better than singles. It doesn't cost much more to feed two, I still cook for two - don't know how not to.



Rates, petrol, electricity wouldn't change that much and council rates the same. I suppose two people would go out more which costs, but what am I missing.



Margott

Margott - if you were on the married rate of pension and paying off a mortgage as well as rates, power and insurance and the rest of it, one car only 20 years old, and no other income. You would find that going out is shopping for the groceries and to the Doctor. Or a walk on the beach with the dog as cheap. Even a cup of coffee costs $3 these days and is the amount I have to spend of the meat content of our dinner for two. Needless to say we eat very little meat and lots of home grown or fresh veggies.





Two can live as cheaply as one is the biggest lie ever told by anyone and those who live on a mere $237 for each a week and have to feed clothe and pay their share of the expenses out of it know this as a fact. We even have to share the pharmaceutical benefits allowance and the utilities allowance so the myth we get double is just that - a lying myth thought up by lying lefties and bureaucrats who are mainly lefties anyway.



[b]We are already just under $100 dollars a week less for having a marriage certificate and soon it will be $160 a week come September as the base pension for couples will remain the same $237 a week each. [/b]



The $10.14 or $5.07 each is on the supplement and why it is that I fail to understand but then the figures given on the Budget don't tally with mine and I have all of them at my fingertips and still less than quoted - singles around $304 a week when really $299 with counting in all the supplements and allowances given to date. Same as the new figures are not actual when computing the new supplements either - shrug -.



Seniors that are SF and Seniors that are single - miss - missed or widowed have fought very hard to get their agenda's and they both won but the couples sat back and let them thinking they would not be discriminated against any more than currently and lookee here - they have been.



Divide and rule is at work here and has won.



As Steve Fielding said - get divorced.



Then officially you move in with a (same sex) divorced friend whilst their ex partner moves in with your husband and all claim the single pension.



Nothing to stop those divorced from helping each others household out with the normal duties of housekeeping and outside work so seeing you or friends around and about old homes is not outrageous!



No midnight Centrelink police to check who is in which bed in which house - this has worked for single mums for years with him back home with his parents and both on single dole. rofl.



If you cant join them - beat them.

I admit that being on the pension--is very hard--BUT Marrieds get $474--a week between them--singles get $285 and still have to pay for the same Elect/rates/water/etec etc etc--and it is very hard to buy a small amount in the supermarket just for one. I am not saying it is not hard for both but I would find it much easier to manage on the $474 than on the $285

I agree with you PlanB out of my 285 a week I also pay rent to homeswest of $83 a week, not much left after that