There are about 10 million people over 50 in the work force.

Pay them $1 million each severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire.
Ten million job openings - unemployment fixed

2) They MUST buy a new Australian car.
Ten million cars ordered - Car Industry fixed

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage -
Housing Crisis fixed

4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university -
Crime rate fixed

5) They MUST buy $100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week .......
and there's your money back in duty/tax etc

6) Instead of stuffing around with the carbon emissions trading scheme that makes us pay for the major polluters, tell the greedy bastards to
reduce their pollution emissions by 75% within 5 years or we shut them down.

7) Cut down on pollies perks - they earn enough money to pay for their own petrol, food, drinks, airfares for their wives & families like all other hard working Aussies do. We pay big money but we still get MONKEYS.

8) No government credit cards for pollies - let them get their own then they will be more careful about how they use it and pay up on time so as not to incur interest

Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home.

This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.
They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out.
They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance.
Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.
A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.
They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.
They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool and education.
Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.
Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens.
Each senior could have a pc a tv radio and daily phone calls.
contd.
There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.

The criminals would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised.
Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room and pay $600.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out.

THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq ... Why don't we just give them ours?
Got this sent in the email today full credit to whoever wrote this

Why do refugees chose to come by boat?

http://www.smh.com.au/national/he-knocked-at-the-front-door-only-to-have-it-slammed-in-his-face-20140110-30mkf.html

"These people are destroyers. They have destroyed their homeland at their own hand, now they want to import all that to Oz."

What if their land, communities, families and lives were destroyed by others? And they are non-persons in their own land? What if they want to get away from all that? Hazaras from Afghanistan are an example.

The world-wide refugee problem is not an easy one to solve. Australia has the tiniest problem because we are so far away and it takes real effort and desperation to get here.

Some of the opinions expressed here do nothing to help solve the problem. It's just letting off steam at the expense of desperate people

Some of the opinions expressed here do nothing to help solve the problem.
Cossomby,
I agree & that incudes your post as well. This a problem that has been created for us deliberately by warlords in other countries with an agenda for Australia.
Compassion is merely compounding the problem.
As you said we need answers & suggestions. Letting evryone into Australia is not a good suggestion & an even worse solution.
I suggest we provide all able-bodied assylum seekers with equipment necessary to go back & sort out the mess & take the do-gooders with them.

Sorry individual, you've got No 6 wrong.

There is no such thing as carbon pollution, in the context you are using, only plant food.

Given that human beings are a carbon life form, I suppose you could call human life gone wrong a form of pollution.

That being the case, all greenies, obviously life gone wrong, could be considered to be a form of pollution, if you wish to be unkind to fools.

Individual's proposal for compulsory retirement and list of rules for the over-50s shows a lack of understanding of how 'work' works.

First, though, it would be good to get the figures right. There are not "about 10 million people over 50 in the work force'. The entire workforce (2012) is about 11 million (ABS). Depending on how the figures are presented (over 54, over 55, 55-65 etc.) there seem to be about 9.5 million under 54 and about 1.5 million over 54 (and it's often not clear from the various stats when self-employed people are included).

So, Individuals proposal will be a bit cheaper.

But, the more people of all ages work, the bigger the economy, the more jobs, the more opportunity for young people. Get rid of all that experience and knowledge at age 50? (Though I guess the tourism industry might benefit by more grey nomads). I'm much better at what I do now because of the experience I've gained since since I was 50!

I am 71 and still work (my own business). What I do could not be done by a school leaver with no experience, even a recent graduate. Not only do I earn money and pay tax, but I employ people. Some of my work is in education and training of young people, and I get pleasure out of seeing them gain knowledge and get jobs.

There is one benefit to society from early retirement - the use of skills in the volunteer workforce. Perhaps all volunteers could be given Individual's largesse?

But, Individual, you are suggesting the ultimate nanny state. And why should anyone be forced NOT to work? We older workers should get medals for self-sufficiency, keeping off the pension and using our skills for the benefit of the country and the younger generation!