In terms of the delay, possibly Abbott et al. don't want to be seen to break his election promise not to interfere with pensions. Just think of all the criticism that they have received for lying and for making election promises that they never had any intention of keeping. From what I recall, the proposed indexation to pensions in Joe Hockey's first budget wouldn't have taken place until after the next election either, so that voters could reject it by voting against the Liberals and Nationals.

Had I just spent up when younger instead of saving up I'd duck the new threshold and receive plenty more money than I will as a self-fundee.

If you didn't bother to save like me, or never worked, or have just arrived, and never paid a cent in tax, you end up the same as me if I invest at the deeming rate (which is about as good as it gets right now).

GST will rise, so I'll be paying tax there (while pensioners will too, but they'll get topped-up and I won't), and, should I have the temerity to have a good year in super earnings, that'll get walloped when Labor gets back.

How about divorcing the wife and halving the super? Nup that, that's marginal, and she'll want the house!

Buggered! But wait, I'll buy us each a new Merc and we're back in the game! What a mess, Scotty!

Sorry Luciferase it doesn't work that way. Your new Mercs are still assets, well at least for the assets test if not as cars, so will not reduce your assets for a couple of years, until you can depreciate them sufficiently. Of course running them may send you broke, so you could receive the pension.

Better to liquefy some of your asset each year to top up your income to a satisfactory standard, then join the line at the needy counter, once you have used up enough of those assets.

Still with fairly moderate tastes, I can live quite happily on the pension level of income, with the hump, [as on the camel] of fully owned assets, & a medicare card supporting me. I have even managed to replace many of my white goods, & things like water tanks, from income, with only a draw on accumulated assets for a car.

Personally I am old enough to have paid a levy to future pension, & feel entitled to draw one. Having supported the so called needy almost all my life, I am disinclined to help pay for a pension for some, but not receive it myself. Time for the politics of envy to go take a hike.

Yes you are correct and as The Murray Report said 84% of people have no idea about planning their own retirement so make no effort to find out the "testing rules" for the Age Pension and therefore have no concept of how to maximize their share.

So they take the advice OF BigSuper and do a Minimum Drawdown of their Super [as Allocated/Account Based Pension] and wonder why any Age Pension they get goes down every year [while their Fund Fees go up].

Most of the cases I get at agepensionsolutions dot com [NOT dot com dot au] involve a PART Age Pension where invariably the elephant in the room that reduces the Age Pension IS the asset value OF the Super, so it does not take a brain surgeon to figure one needs to SPEND the Super, but in a planned way over 20 years.

The govt is not happy and the Fund is not happy but YOU are happy, after all YOU are the main "Stakeholder" in this circus even though Murray only talks to govt and fund managers as stakeholders.

Thanks for that head-up Hassy, We'll by something more consumable, like a trip of two lifetimes, or cosmetic surgery. The old Astra will have to do me.