Abbott to raise pension age to 70

It is astounding to me that a Government dedicated to removing a mining tax can justify raising the pension age to 70 to balance their budget.  I don’t have the figures on what would be saved by such a move, but common sense would suggest, that eliminating one source of income from a wealthy group and making cuts that affect a disadvantaged group, is not a fair distribution.

Raising the pension age to 70 has little or no merit either in terms of a budget or in terms of the economy.  There may be some merit in raising the compulsory retirement age to 70 for those in good health and who wish to continue working rather than live on the reduced income of a pension. But for those who have worked for many years in a labour intensive job, it is possible that their physical well being would not sustain a longer working life.  There are also those who may already be unemployed through no fault of their own who cannot find jobs because employers want younger cheaper employees.  These people will be forced to remain on an unemployment benefit giving no additional advantage to any budget. 

Mr. Abbott seems to view pensioners as a drain on the economy giving no acknowledgement of the contribution to this country made during a full working life and the raising of a family.  Many of those due to receive a pension in the near future would not have much in the way of superannuation as only some of the working population accessed superannuation benefits until it became a national policy in the late 80’s for all workers.  Working men and women in trades, manufacturing and retail industries were mostly on the lower end of the wage structure making saving for a retirement time difficult whilst raising a family.

Mr. Abbott appears to want to reward modern parents with his parenting scheme whilst ignoring and penalising a group of people who have raised families already and contributed greatly to this society.  Retired pensioners still contribute to their communities by assisting others, doing volunteer work or helping raise their grandchildren.  Pensioners have never been a drain on society and should be considered a much valued contributor to the economy through their lifetime dedication to their work, their community and their families.

GST Yes or No.

Last night I watched a discussion on increasing revenues rather than simply cutting everything.  It is obvious that to keep our economy healthy, we need to allow for steady growth and reduce our deficit.  Whether, the deficit should be the primary concern is a debatable issue.

However, we all know that if we wish to spend more on worthwhile projects and improve the lot of those on fixed incomes then we must increase our income stream.  At the present time, the discussion seems to revolve around cutting costs whereas last night, the speakers on the programme I was watching suggested that it would be better to increase the GST.

The argument was that by increasing the GST across the board including those things that at present are excluded, would be provide an income stream that could be used to increase pensions and other Social benefits.  Money would also then be available for important matters such as education and health improvements.  Those on fixed incomes could be recompensed for any negative impact this increase would have.

It was suggested that a much larger sum of money would be available to grow Australia in terms of education, health and infrastructure by increasing our revenue source rather than the small gains that may be made by reducing services or the size of the public service.

None of us like an increase in taxes particularly those that are sure to bring increased costs across the board.  However, it is time to think about whether we wish to go forward or back for a sustainable prosperous future for all Australians.  If people were given to understand that these taxes would be spent on better programmes and increases in living standards then perhaps the benefits of such a policy would be more acceptable. The GST at least is an equitable tax that is payable by everyone.

I think that if people could be assured that the increase would be spent on benefits for the population rather than just applied to the surplus, then it is possible that agreement could be reached.  However, it would take negotiation.  We would need our politicians to sit down and work out the details so that Liberals can protect businesses and Labor can protect the workers and social benefits recipients and find a compromise that suits everyone.  I know I'm dreaming.  Further discussion on GST can be found in The Conversationhttps://theconversation.com/raise-the-gst-the-conversation-we-have-to-have-25202.

Studying - A Lifetime Ambition

In my youth long ago I would have liked to go to University but that wasn't possible.  Circumstances and financial restraints prohibited this for me and many of my generation.  Later I was too busy working towards getting my four children through their education.  The day came when I was made redundant and time stretched endlessly before me.  

Many people in a similar situation of either voluntary or forced retirement,  joined groups or volunteered in a new meaningful lifestyle.   I couldn't do this because of my ineptness in social or community situations. Outside of work, I stayed at home and had very few contacts with other people.  Fortunately, I was saved from absolute boredom through the internet particularly the new opportunities for studying online through distance education.  Open Universities Australia opened their doors for me to a new and exciting world.  Not only could I study at a University level but I had access to many of the best universities in Australia and a multitude of interesting study units.

My two favourites are Macquarie University for Philosophy and Curtin University for all things internet.  If you are interested however I am sure there is lots of good stuff at the other Universities depending on your interests.