<“And before anyone says 'you try living on it', I have. I had two lots of six months on the dole back in the nineties between Uni studies. I'd never had so much money in my life before!”>

Bet you didn't have to pay off a house, keep a car on the road, probably buy food, pay power, rates, taxes, house and commodity repairs, all things many pensioners have to do. Many fought in wars so the young of today wouldn't be under dictatorships. But I suppose you think they haven't done enough to deserve being looked after properly and comfortably. Why contribute to society at all, when the outcome is a retirement of impoverishment, neglect and disdain. In the past young people respected the elderly, today they look down on them as a waste of space, unless they are leaving them something in their will and even then, they ignore their existence on most occasions.

This country should have a pensions system allowing the elderly to live with respect, in reasonable comfort and able to pay their way with confidence and dignity. The fools running the country don't realise, is if they gave more money to pensioners, it will stimulate the economy much more than any other method. Aged pensioners spend and travel, the more they have the more they put back into the community, so it goes round and everyone gets a share. Other forms of welfare never get out of the immediate area and stay in the hands of multinationals and junk food poisoners.

We have to many bludgers on disability pensions and too much money being given to women to have babies, they raise welfare dependent children who never see their mothers work, or know a father. So they have no example to follow, just a stupid merry go round the political system plays on, which gets nowhere but fills the elites pockets.

Right on Stormbay. In addition, pensioners who have the cheek to try and earn a little extra shouldn't have to put up with the confusing crap handed out by Centerlink and have most of this taken away. I know of cases where a friend lost her health card for a while because a terms part time teaching was paid as a lump sum. I had another very honest friend who was silly enough to tell Centerlink that she was planning to make some money by selling her water colours. They demanded a business plan so they could reduce her pension before she earned the money. I am sure anyone who knows pensioners who are trying to do a little work could come up with similar tales.

I believe the true measure of a society is the quality of life of people near the bottom of the pile, not the wealth of the rich or even average quality of life. Our treatment of pensioners doesn't make this society look very good at all

Taxation was never a measure to fund the Idiot spherical Notion and propaganda as it is now; between every conceivable stupid psychopaths Ideology and dogma- funded by Taxation – along with the Politicized Parasite Gravy Train- Funded by Taxation- The politicized Cartels – Useless Idiot elite - Agitprop- affirmative action – the Humanities- Immigration ; ( Legal and Illegal)- boat people- Criminals- Afghanistan Bureaucrats- Palestinian Bureaucrats- African- Indonesian- and every other international basket case on the face of the planet – It is an endless list. Tax payer funded of course- well it is Tax payer debt card now- and debt with no return.

And now wonder why Pensioners – and the ever increasing Unemployment ranks , now have to starve and or live in near shanty towns.
You only got what you asked for; or did some actually expect miracles to occur.

The bad news is- Well - sadly - it is only going to get worse- and as bad as it is now- just a thought of what will exist ten years from now

Any person on what Centrelink euphemistically calls Income Support to do anything more that survive is impossible.

Add food, rent/mortgage, electricity/gas/telephone bills,transport costs (to look for a job/attend interviews etc) together and there is nothing left, nothing left at all.

J S Mill - Excellent post if I say so myself.

Just a thought... Would it not stimulate (that horrible word) the economy as well as anything if we used a decent portion of those massive funds thrown at individuals and infrastructure (another horrible word) to help those in particular need because of the GFC. Granted it would need to be a longer term rather than a one-off commitment which our governments seem to avoid at all costs and there may come a time when these obligations may end up being in excess of a fair distribution or of what we can afford. If that situation arises we can always fall back on increased taxes and inflation to get back to a fair or affordable position.

Thank you Kulu
Stormbay - I assume you were responding to me? I admit while I was on unemployment benefits I didn't have to pay off a house, but I did while I was on Austudy so I know something about it.
I don't recall suggesting age pensioners do not deserve being looked after properly or comfortably. I do, however, think it mildly patronising to assume that the aged need 'looking after' at all. I suspect that most are capable of looking after themselves - perhaps with assistance and support.
You seem to subscribe to the pension as 'repayment for a life of hard work' philosophy. I assume then you support doing away with means testing for the pension? Many who have contributed managed to put something aside. Surely they deserve something? You also sound like you support a higher level of support based on your contribution - serve in the war = 150% of pension. Never do much for society = 50% of pension?
I don't have the information on the relative merits of government spending on different parts of society but imagine if the data supports your position the Govt will soon fork out (BTW - 'multinationals and junk food poisoners' are major employers. Yeah - let's penalise them, no downside to that)
Finally it seems that you are more than happy to strip benefits from other groups if it assists your preferred group - the aged. I'm sure you appreciate that this is the mantra of every interest group - we are more needy/more deserving/more whatever than X. I find it a little chilling that you would be so willing to strip money from disability pensioners, many of whom have never had an ability to live a normal life or prepare for their future, to give money to those who have had an entire life to prepare for their infirmity.
I have nothing against anyone in need receiving a basic level of support but there must be some level of disincentive built-in so we do not penalise the ants and reward the grasshoppers.