Tristan it is pretty obvious you were not a math teacher. Did you do any?

It is also pretty obvious you did not notice the soviet union, who's government was to be all things to all people, collapsed under the load of it's socialism.

Perhaps you also missed the fact that Communist China was going the same way, until it changed to a market econom, if not to a democratic political system. Of course that is also only a matter of time too.

Perhaps you have not noticed the collapse of the bountiful Mediterranean countries, who's socialist policies had sent them broke, but surely you have heard the UK is trying desperately to back off it's public health system, as it is sending them broke.

No you say? Could that be, because you turn your eyes away, rather than accept, & understand that these policies encourage the bludger in most of us.

Reward your dog for doing your bidding, & it will respond, doing what you ask. Reward your bludger with ever more handouts, & as you should expect, you will get an ever increasing population of bludgers.

Dignity comes from providing for you & yours. It can not be had from a government cheque. Learn that, & we may then be able to consider you an independent adult, rather than a dependent kid.

You might then understand the NDIS was to some a pipe dream, but to Gillard was a neat trap she could load to injure her replacement. She new damn well they would be injured by cancelling it, but could never afford it. I'll bet she is still giggling every time someone like you push for it's fairyland ideas.

One of the things to think about, is the banana republic, third world economy, we will become without a manufacturing industry, particularly when we've gone past our own minerals peak.
Our young folk, due to their own apathy, and lack of involvement in the political process, are in for a very rude awakening, and will have nobody but themselves to blame.
Those without an adequate education, will be limited to part time work, and extreme competition for too few very menial jobs!
And our universities are following the American model, with higher and higher tuition fees, and private debt collectors, harassing the unwary, who thought that their HECS fees were forgotten. What follows that? Tent cities and soup kitchens?
The phenomena that confronts our future, is a time not too far ahead, when the have nots, will greatly outnumber the haves, and as elsewhere, the haves will retreat into private gated prisons of their own making, just to feel safe?
And this is the future we can all expect, given our current crop of illustrious leaders, can't think beyond free trade agreements, with basically bankrupt countries?
Selling the family farm, the family silver and or, our very economic sovereignty; and winding back social welfare is their only available illogical response to contraction?
Thereby guaranteeing even more contraction, as discretionary spending continues to dry up, or is further consumed by higher house prices and the cost of energy, and all that depends on it.
The federal budget seems focused on reducing real welfare for the real needy, while preserving expanding welfare for the rich.
And given that is so, the economic illiterates, would simply compound our current raft of economic problems?
What we need are visionary leaders! What we have gotten instead, are ideologues, who seem to be self serving, and or part of the problem?
Unfortunately, for the average battler, gripped by traditional apathy, is things will likely have to get a lot worse, and from where, it could take centuries, if ever, to recover!
Rhrosty.

Dear Hassie,

Thanks for the advice.

I'm not sure how we're going to cope when mum needs a
nursing home. But it's good advice, so Thanks.
We've done some inquiries regarding some homes - and
do you believe that for a single room with an ensuite -
in several nursing homes here in Melbourne the asking
price for a bond - is from $550,000 on up. A larger room
is between $650,000 to over $1 million.

Who the heck has that kind of money?

And "extra service," fees are on top of that of course.

Has been; You say we "cannot afford" the Aged Pension, and presumedly the Disability Pension also. But the Aged Pension costs $38 billion, and the Disability Pension $15 billion OUT OF A US$1.6 TRILLION economy. So to put it all in perspective - it shows that our welfare bill is hardly "living beyond our means". Rather it is - and always will be (in our lifetimes) a matter of *priorities*.

Do we deliver $40 billion of tax cuts to the middle and upper middle class; all the while spending billions more on Parental Leave and Private Health Insurance Rebates - for those same people? Do we deliver superannuation concessions to millionaires? Because if we don't, then we have plenty more revenue at our disposal...

Greece has a debt crisis, yes. But that's because they were consistently spending more than they were bringing in. And for the record they had a minimum retirement age of 55. By contrast I am arguing that our retirement age should revert to 65.

Tristan what do you think we are doing.

Right now, thanks to Ruddy & Gillard, we are spending much more than we earn, & that is before the NDIS, Gonski or the NBN, [currently off budget to hide the huge cost] kick in.

With the current outlook, our debt is going to get worse, for a long time before it gets any better. I really can't understand how they got us into so much trouble, so quickly, but they managed it to some extent by thinking like you.

They did not decide if we could afford something, they just spent the money. They even locked in spending way past any time they were likely to be in government. That could have been to try to buy votes, but was probably just malevolent act of revenge on voters who wanted them gone.

I'm not against moderate welfare, I'm an age pensioner, & extremely grateful to the taxpayer for their generosity, but we still have to be careful of the goose & golden egg syndrome. Take too much, & we will destroy our economy, & everyone's well being.

I agree Tony's maternity thing is crazy, & inequitable, why are well paid mothers worth more than stay at home mothers who probably have more need, but do remember, my generation raised our kids with out any of it.

As for other things, the debt must come down, not increase, & until it does, no new spend should occur, & some cuts may be required, even to the age pension.

Tristan, I agree with your six reforms.

However, even if we were highly successful in achieving all of these, we’d still be in deep poo if we failed to address immigration.

You just touched on a vitally important factor of this whole story, which was then left unexplored… and hasn’t been commented on by any posters thus far.

You wrote:

< There is also the question of what matters most in life: the chronic capitalist commitment to endless economic growth regardless of the social cost… >

Endless rapid growth. THIS is the biggest issue here! What we should be pursuing is genuine per-capita economic growth. What we are actually getting is massive population growth, which is constantly and enormously increasing the demand for everything. It is costing us the earth to accommodate new residents. We are spending in the order of 80b$ per annum just to duplicate all the basic infrastructure and services for ever-more people.

As a fundamental part of your approach, you would surely support the freeing up of a large part of this money, by winding immigration right back ??

If we don’t do this, even our best efforts at the reforms you suggest are not likely to get us very far.

< Budget pressures also need to be considered in the context of a growing infrastructure crisis. >

Yes! And our very high immigration rate is making this infrastructure crisis rapidly worse!