Assumming there is trillions of dollars in personal superanuation floating around, do you think it will be yours for the taking when you retire, or, as I suspect, will we have to jump through hoops just to get at it.

With our government running on empty and many of our services at breaking point, this is before we see a huge increase in our population, can future governments keep their grubby little hands off our super.

My fear is that once retired, we will be allocated a certain amount on a weekly basis, then, if we want more we will be hit with huge taxes.

Do you think your super is safe?

The super you need to worry about is the super controlled by the unions.

You are right to worry, rehctub.

The current system is primarily set up as tax rort for the rich. This is because there is a flat tax rate of 15% on contributions and earnings, with no consideration of how much has been accumulated, up to a very high reasonable benefit limit. Ross Gittins, the Economics Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, has calculated that, for people earning more than $60,000 a year, the superannuation tax concessions cost the government more than it would to give them the full pension with no questions asked. Really high income earners can receive 3 or 4 times the value of the full pension. These are people who would save in any case.

The rational way to deal with cost blow-outs would be to tax super on the basis of how much has been accumulated. Needless to say, this would be unpopular with the people who matter. The federal government has been considering (but has ruled out for now) raising the superannuation preservation age to 67, along with the pensionable age. This would make people in their sixties desperate to go on working, because they would be unlikely to have enough other funds to retire and the unemployment benefit is heavily means tested and work tested. Another possibility, which hasn't been ruled out, would be forced longevity insurance. A big chunk of your super would be taken in exchange for a periodic private pension if you live longer than average, probably just enough to prevent you claiming any or any significant pension from the government.

A big chunk of your super would be taken in exchange for a periodic private pension
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essentially all such devices are there already once you get into the nitty gritty of how system works and as I just came to retirement I DID put the lot [ie legislation] into a custom applic spreadsheet which I now offer to others at www.lopsystem.com to assist their own planning.

In a nutshell there is a delicate balance between wether ASSETS or INCOME "tests" any Aged Pension you might get. If you take an Alloc Pension [ie same as you suggest above] then some of your assets move to income, and if you take some super to get new car/caravan etc they become non deemed assets etc.

So everyone will have a different balance point so the task of a spreadsheet should be to "optimise" that to receive the max pension.

The part that astounded me was just how much you can own/earn and still get some pension, ie it can hardly be called "welfare" for such people.

You made a big assumption rehctub.It is not really your super.The Govt only gave you the illusion of temporary ownership.

The next step will be the selling of your house and then the Govt will dish out a pittance just enough for your survival.

This is the result of allowing an oligarchy to rule our lives.The wealth will always move to the hands of a few.

The next step will be the selling of your house and then the Govt will dish out a pittance

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not even a howard/abbott would do that, but it is done in a far more subtle way by way of J Doe the taxpayer.

The aged pension scheme, as I said, is geared up to induce spending, hence every retiree is induced [by no deeming] to buy that half million dollar rig of 4WD plus caravan and tour OZ and spend money. Centrelink makes it dead easy to claim full rent assistance even if staying just one night at each caravan park, so it's all about stimulating the economy via taxpayer funding spending retirees.

The part that I don't like is even those that got their super on the never never [ie unfunded super for fat cats etc] and [contrary to the Constitution] have a reserve in the Smirk Future Fund, will in many cases be also drawing some Aged Pension.