The Aussie Pension

There is some detail I will leave out to keep this simple. The Australian old age pension is for eligible Australians who are permanent residents or citizens who have lived in Australia for a certain period, are retired and are 67 years old or more. There isn't a retirement age in Australia but 67 is thought of as a de facto age. 

The pension is paid by the government from its general revenue, taxes if you like. Generally, wages and pensions are paid every two weeks. 

The maximum pension is about $600 a week. The pension comes with other benefits, such as cheaper electricity, gas and water, along with local government rates and medications, the latter mostly costing no more than $7.50 per prescription.

The pension is asset and income tested, but with your owned home and personal effects such as furniture, jewellery....and perhaps expensive art work hanging on your walls, are all exempt. Your motor car is not exempt, so if you take money from your bank account to pay for a new car, just because you have a lower bank balance, that means nothing. But your car is an asset that can be devalued, quite a lot as soon as you drive out of the car showroom. My new car was immediately devalued by $9,000. So at each pension review, your car's value will be part of the consideration as to what you are paid. When my next pension review happens, that will be taken into account.

I think the old age pension cuts out when you have around $720,000 in savings or in private superannuation, the figure including the value of your car. 

Superannuation, that is a scheme to provide you with money for your old age is a contribution from you and your employers to a private profit making organisation or a workplace/union based not for profit. The latter generally perform much better. Your employer may pay around 10% of your wage into super, with you paying perhaps 5% or more. You can also put in extra money, say a lump sum from your savings or whatever.

So, say you have $500,000 in superannuation, from which you draw an income of $1,000 each week, you will still receive the government old age pension, of about $115 each week.

If you have minimal money, you will receive the full pension amount of  $600 per week, plus if you rent in the private market, an extra amount.

If the dollar figures seem high to people overseas, remember Australia is an expensive country to live, and the wages quite high, with the minimum wage now being about $1,000 a week for a full time 38 hour working week. 

AU$1000 = US$700 = GB£530 = €610.   

Relief and rant

Ray's relatives left yesterday morning. As lovely as the couple are, it is a bit of a relief, but also very sad as it is unlikely I will ever see them again. I had three dinners out with them and took them out on two long day trips, and they were very appreciative, and I heard about all the people I know in Ray's northern English city. They have flown to Bali, and four days later supposed to fly via Bahrain to England. Their flight has been cancelled, and alternative arrangements will be made.

A huge security guard company recently collapsed and the owner has fled overseas. We are told they underpaid security immigrant and student workers, insisting the students work more hours than they are allowed. There were many who were not paid. Superannuation was not paid, the responsibility of our tax department, and a huge amount was owed in unpaid taxes. There was sexual harassment of staff and eyes turned blind by the companies that used the security company. 

"Has collapsed owing tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands/millions in tax payments to the government", is a phrase we almost hear daily, well maybe weekly. This is an absolute disgrace. It is money lost that will have to made up by all taxpayers. There is really something seriously wrong in our tax department when it lets go unpaid tax and unpaid workers' superannuation for long periods. Never mind that the owner of the company should have had his passport blocked. He won't return to face the music.

I will shop on Thursday before a dental appointment in the afternoon. Otherwise, nothing more this week until Sunday when it will be a great niece's 12th birthday celebration. Ray's and Mother's used to be celebrated at the same time. 

A friend is just about to clear from a Covid infection. It is ages since I've heard of anyone having Covid, but the beast is still with us. She was well vaccinated and so her symptoms were mild.

Why does one Yarra Trams tram driver ring the gong seven different times when passing by (to warn flying bats I guess) and the next driver does not ring the gong at all? Yarra Trams provided an excellent service for attendees at the Grand Prix, but bugger the locals. It was awful to try to get anywhere by tram. Thank goodness for the new Metro tunnel train. 

The Chinese cult 'religion' Falun Gong has a performance called Shen Yun happening around Australia, in Melbourne at a place I didn't know, but what we call Jeff's Shed. I am bombarded by advertising for the show on YouTube. But let me tell you the organisers, if you want to advertise in Australia, at the very least use Australian voices to promote the show, and not American. I can wear American car advertisements with the steering wheel on the wrong side as the cars travel along beautiful coastal roads, because there is an Australian voice over, and I know the the ads cost a lot to make.  It may be an urban myth, but I remember a remark from Germany. 'If you want to buy something from us, we speak perfect English. If you want to sell us something, sorry, we don't understand English'. Not using an Australian voice over for Shen Yun really pisses me off.                                                                               

Hopefully something less whiny tomorrow.

Sunday Extra

It pleased me to see today that Jacinta Allan, the Premier of the State of Victoria, today participated, along with a couple of her ministers, in the gay Pride March. There is what appears genuine joie de vivre in the photo and I'm reminded of wonderful photos of former Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau marching in a gay pride march. Premier Allan is in pink. The words weren't spoken but uploaded to her socials. Photo from Star Observer.

Pride is about being able to live your life openly. Loving who you love. Being who you are - without fear or apology. It began because too many Victorians were denied that freedom. Because dignity had to be fought for. Today, we march with pride - and with purpose. And if hatred is finding a new voice elsewhere, it will never find a home here.  

To anyone who has been made to feel different just because of who you are: you will always belong in our Victoria. 

Ain't nothing like a dame

Sir and dame titles were removed from our honours in 1986, however they were briefly restored in 2014. 

Superior titled people is an anathema to most Australians. Nevertheless from my unextensive research, we still have 25 sirs in Australia, and 7 dames.

Dame Marie Bashir, once a Governor of the State of New South Wales and Dame Quentin Bryce, once Governor General of Australia, were given their honours in 2014.  

But just because Australia no longer has the processes of making sirs and dames, that does not mean we don't still award them, and do so at the request of what I assume are limited to Commonwealth countries. Of the remaining women for example, three were on the recommendation of the UK government, one on the recommendation of the Papua New Guinea and one on the recommendation of New Zealand.

It is similar for males, a couple in the 2014 period by Australia, but mostly requests by the UK government, one by the Queen (Sir William Hesseltine, for my UK readers), a couple by Papua New Guinea and a couple by Solomon Islands. 

Perhaps this is not of great interest to many of you, and it has shattered my hopes of outliving all sirs and dames in Australia. The last was appointed in 2022, and the youngest born is 65.

Dame Quentin Bryce being invested in 2014, after her term as Governor General 2008 - 2014.

 Me? I don't bend me knee to no one, comrade.