Gee I guess it was bad planning that this mans wife passed away. They will have to plan it better next time

Well you are the last one I expected this type of 'cheap shot' from. You know danmed well this is not the type of person I was reffering to!

Wake up to yourself and come to terms that countless amounts of pension money ends up being wasted on pokies, grog or ciggaretes.

Hard to help anyone, regardless of gender or age, if they can't help them selves!

rehctub,
That wasnt a shot at you. Although now I read back I can see how you may have took it that way.
Sorry- that WASNT my ntention rehctub.
I was aiming square at the Government and Kevin Rudd. Like I said I dont think you know how bad it is for the very elderly single people.
Now if you wish to talk about many other welfare blugers go right ahead because thats a pet hate of mine.

We even give cah to junkies on welfare for God sake and aloholics.
Dont start me.

Cheers

People Against Live Exports & Intensive Farming, That's fine, I have always respected your views.

Now on that matter of welfare wasters.

Many companies now, and most mining companies have a drug free and zero aclcohol policy if you wish to keep your job.

Why can't we see a system whereby all eligible working age walfare recipients have to provide a sample each week,month whatever to ensure they are in fact drug free. After all, they can't get a job if they are on drugs and arn't these people supposed to be looking for work.

or conscript them again, just to keep the knife in

we could have GerriBoot Camps with wheelchair access and free colestomy bags

we could even spit on them again, like when they returned from Vietnam

The suggestion has merit.But it could be improved on if instead of rent assistance increase, the Government could establish an Authority to rent houses owned by investors on 5 to 10 year rentals, like the Defence Housing Authority does and then sub-let to appropriate families.For example a family of 5 children of school age could be allocated a priority of a rental near schools. while a single person could be happily housed in a unit.The Government would incur a cost but the investor pays capital gains tax when he sells , so the Government recoups some eventually.The boost to single pensioners in lots of instances would go to the pokies or more alcohol, as there is no way of controlling what happens after the money is paid.There are pensioners in places like Noosa who would be happy in a tent and get $30 a week to spend as they like.Poor old Nelson can try to make himself more popular but pork-barreling only goes well if you can deliver.How much do Australians value their free society and climate in the package of social security benefits?

I'm with Belly on this.

>>But rental assistance will just push rental prices up<<

One of the more tacky sidebars of the ABC Learning fiasco was the revelation that the minute the government increased the childcare subsidy, the childcare centres whacked up their prices by the same amount. Net result for the consumer - no change. Net result for the middle-man - bonanza.

It is a much discredited strategy on a number of fronts, and a government subsidy on wrinkly-rental will not make their homes more affordable.

If we don't trust them enough to use an increased pension on the fundamentals of living rather than fritter it away on the pokies, then don't give it to them. At least when they play the pokies they are only affecting themselves. If you throw money on the demand side of the housing market, we all suffer.

Except the banks, of course.