GRIPES

[spacesailor]

Here,s a BIG gripe

The government is giving $25 to seniors.

BUT

Not for the city folk ,!

Went to rta /roads services, for said gift, & was told, NO it,s only for RURAL people.

Thats a small amount of seniors ,without the millions of city folk.

spacesailor

[onetrack]

You can stop griping now, Spacey, you'll get your $750 from the Govt soon, that's better than $25.

[spacesailor]

I wont hold my breath, knowing this tight assed government.

There's bound to be a catch somewhere. Remember Jack boot Johny who gave us all a big pay increase !, only off the tax, which pensioners don't pay.

Here's a thought !.

All the poverty pensioners who can travel should NOT be stopped from living in a "third" world country, but should be encouraged to live a luxury life-style over seas, on this "below Australian poverty line pension".

They only give us three weeks before cutting the meagre subsistence pension.

I'll need a month or a little more if training in the Philippines.

I know superannuant pensioners can get their money, but not government pensioners.

spacesailor

[willedoo]

spacey, if you receive an Australian age pension, you can be away six weeks before you go on the outside Australia rate. With that rate, you just get the base pension and not the supplement payments, like pharmaceutical allowance and energy supplement etc.. But you can live overseas forever and collect the base rate.

 

Unless you've spent a lot of your adult life outside Australia. In that case, after 26 weeks away, the pension rate is reduced. If you've spent 35 years in Australia between age 16 and 65, you get the full amount if living overseas. If not, the rate is proportionally reduced depending on the number of years spent here.

 

That's the way it used to be. Maybe they've cut the 6 weeks down to three weeks, but you should still get the base rate without supplement payments.

[spacesailor]

I went to England they Stoped all my money after three weeks.

On our return we had to reapply to get it back again.

I don,t think it,s any better now !.

spacesailor

[Yenn]

I have been to England in the past for over 3 weeks and never had a problem. As far as I am concerned we do pretty well as pensioners in Australia.

We get money but we also get other perks such as a good medical service, train travel at reduced rates. No reason to complain, but of course there will always be those who expect others to provide for a luxury lifestyle.

[spacesailor]

Used to get train travel !.

now its the opal-card.

I guess your Not paying rent out of that $700 fortnightly pension ?.

yes I manage but Can't afford the cinema , smokes drinks , holidays.

Council rates have jumped up as has every-thing else.

OR Flying

forever counting coppers !.

spacesailor

[octave]

Used to get train travel !.

now its the opal-card.

I guess your Not paying rent out of that $700 fortnightly pension ?.

yes I manage but Can't afford the cinema , smokes drinks , holidays.

Council rates have jumped up as has every-thing else.

OR Flying

forever counting coppers !.

spacesailor

 

The Gold Senior/Pensioner Opal card is available to Pensioner Concession Card holders, NSW Seniors, ACT Seniors and NSW War Widow/ers. With a Gold Opal card, eligible customers can tap onto the Opal network and travel for no more than $2.50 a day.

[spacesailor]

I didn.t get a pretty gold card , just an opal card.

$4.70 a schooner of beer, almost $50 a packet for fags, over $10 a ticket for the movies and don't ask for a meal after that movie. At $30 a plate no way. I'll go home and open a can of beans .LoL.

spacesailor

[octave]

I didn.t get a pretty gold card , just an opal card.

$4.70 a schooner of beer, almost $50 a packet for fags, over $10 a ticket for the movies and don't ask for a meal after that movie. At $30 a plate no way. I'll go home and open a can of beans .LoL.

spacesailor

 

If you have a valid pensioner card you are entitled to a concession Opal card. Surely you should apply for one, I would if I were entitled.

Pensioners

[spacesailor]

The number of times used, outweighs the cost of going into Sydney city,

A few years now since we headed into Sydney Just to get the pensioners opal card. About $15 train fare plus two $10 s onto those two cards. (2x $7.50 tickets to Sydney)

FOR WHAT

To save the BIG Business from printing tickets.

SAME AS

No rego stickers, to save business money, IF needed $28 will get you a registration certificate.

spacesailor

[octave]

The number of times used, outweighs the cost of going into Sydney city,

A few years now since we headed into Sydney Just to get the pensioners opal card. About $15 train fare plus two $10 s onto those two cards. (2x $7.50 tickets to Sydney)

FOR WHAT

To save the BIG Business from printing tickets.

SAME AS

No rego stickers, to save business money, IF needed $28 will get you a registration certificate.

spacesailor

 

No need to make a $15 trip to pick up an opal card

 

How to apply

1. Select the 'Apply online' button.
   
2. Select the 'I want to order a Senior/Pensioner Opal card' option.
   
3. Read the eligibility criteria, then select 'Continue ordering an Opal card'.
   
4. Enter your personal details and password.
   
5. Enter your entitlement details. Your details must match what's shown on your concession card exactly.
   
6. Add a value if you'd like to use your card as soon as you get it, then enter the delivery details for the Opal card.
   
7. If you've added a value, enter your payment details.
   
8. Your Opal card will be mailed to you within 5 to 7 working days.
   

I am not trying to have a go at you but there is a solution to your gripe.

[old man emu]

When the price of cigarettes gets to $2.00 each and there is no proven benefit to them, how can a sane person fork out $50 a go for them?

[red750]

Spacey, how can you afford to smoke? It is supposed to increase your risk of getting Covid-19 by weakening the respiratory system.

 

I admit the pension needs to catch up with the cost of living, and I don't have the expenses you have. I don't drink alcoholic beverages of any kind, I don't smoke, I haven't been in a cinema since before 2000, I don't fly, normally don't travel more than 10 km from home. I have a Myki (Victorian travel card) which gives me free travel at weekends and during Seniors Week, but I never use it. There is nothing I want to travel to. The exception has been the Avalon Air Show every two years, but I may not go to that again. I only go to a restaurant once a year, if at all. I don't pay rent as I own my house outright, but there's always the rates, insurance, water rates, gas and electricity. But I don't feel disadvantaged. It's just hard trying to pay down some of the debts. If I could clear them, I could manage OK on the pension. The interest and late fees are the killer on credit cards.

[spacesailor]

Thats my point !.

I DON,T.

My grandkids still indulge plus two daughters are having a very hard time disappearing from me, to have a sneaky ghasper.

I still do not do do online banking or online shopping .

spacesailor

[red750]

I don't do online shopping. My daughter does a bit from Amazon, but not much. I do nearly all my banking online. I don't carry cash, or at least any more than a couple of dollars. Pay all my bills by Bpay or direct debit, and use EFTPOS when shopping. With so many germs floating around these days, who wants to handle filthy cash?

[spacesailor]

ME.

GIVE-GIVE-GIVE !. LoL

$5 notes for toilet paper.

spacesailor

[red750]

What is so "essential" about a hairdo that hairdressers are exempt from the shutdown and had their time limit increased. Who needs a "do" that will take longer than half an hour. You're not allowed out of the f'ing house for Christ's sake. No pubs, clubs, parties, picnics, barbeques and so forth. Why tizzied up to do the vacuuming??

[spacesailor]

The colouring takes 20 minutes to set.

Only leaves 10 minutes; wash, dry, get that colour in, & fix the bill. LoL

spacesailor

[octave]

The colouring takes 20 minutes to set.

Only leaves 10 minutes; wash, dry, get that colour in, & fix the bill. LoL

spacesailor

 

You might have to forgo to colouring space but I am sure you will still be adorable!

[spacesailor]

ME !

l love my " platinam blonde" hair colour. ( white )

Never liked the old " Rat Brown " of my youth !.

Just need a bit more on the top.

spacesailor

[nomadpete]

This is a "Gripes"thread.

As such I wish to vent my gripe.

 

I'm of pension age, but unable to get a pension because I skrimped and saved and invested in my superannuation and now my super precludes my eligibility for the pension. It doesn't pay any better than a basic pension but that's ok.

Now, with the fallout of this virus, the value of my super (the whole portfolio) is plummeting. It's nice to hear that pensioners get a few dollars from the government to help ends meet. But because I tried to do the responsible thing in my working life, by trying to provide for my 'later years', I get nothing. Even though this crisis has financially hurt me more than it hurts the pensioners who do get a handout.

[old man emu]

Superannuation is a double-edged sword. At the outset it seems to be a brilliant idea for the person contributing their hard-earned shekels. Being responsible during one's working life in order to maintain oneself in retirement is the ultimate expression of the Puritan work ethic. However, it's what happens when your shekels and the other bloke's shekels land in a common pot that cuts the contributor.

 

The shekels can't be left to corrode in the pot like some Roman coin horde to be forgotten about until discovered long after the contributors are dust in the grave. So the value each shekel represents is loaned out to create further value, less management costs. The total value of the accumulated shekels is so great, that only Big Business can make good use of it. Big Business is owned by shareholders, so what ever the value of the shekels is used for, there must be a profit to return a dividend to the shareholders. But before the shareholders get their dividend, the Government takes its share as tax, then the government takes another bite from the shareholders.

 

Because Big Business has to make a profit for its shareholders, it must increase the price of its products. This increase is paid by the contributors during their working lives and in retirement. But the retiree is taxed on the money that comes from superannuation. Also, the Government has decreed that businesses, big and small, must contribute at least 10% of an employee's basic wage to the employee's superannuation. Immediately business adds that amount to the price of their products.

 

As a consequence of contributing to superannuation, prices are forced upwards, with no chance of long-term reduction. The only winner from superannuation is the Government, which has skimmed the cream off an otherwise brilliant idea.

[octave]

The only winner from superannuation is the Government, which has skimmed the cream off an otherwise brilliant idea.

 

I really don't understand why you say this. My wife and I were reasonably irresponsible super wise. We pretty much dropped out for 20 years. About 5 years ago we decided we wanted to retire early, at the time my wife had full time work and I was self employed. We sought financial counseling and devised a plan to catch up. We salary sacrificed $25k each for a couple of years. This is brilliant the money comes direct from you wage BUT instead of being taxed at the full rate (32%) it is only taxed at 15%.

 

Superannuation is a way of reducing your tax.

 

There are many myths about super. A young colleague of my wife complained that super was a rip off and that money kept being taken out of it. It transpires that he thought the money that went in from his wage had tax taken out by his employer and then the super fund took tax out. We explained that the employer had not taken out tax, the sums he thought had been taken away were just standard income tax.

 

Whilst this year will not be so good, last year our super earned around 20% interest. We are living on my wifes super (we are both 58) and my super is still in the accumulation stage. My part time work employer still contributes to it and because I don't work many hours the government contributes $500 if I contribute $1000 which I always do.

 

I would be interested to know why you think it is a rip off. For me to be able to semi retire at 58 is fantastic. If I had putb that money in the bank at the full taz rate I would be way behind where I am now.

[gareth lacey]

I retired at 62 ,allbiet i still do the odd 2 or 3 weeks project work for clients about 3 times a year (this year i wont) am self funded but i have a pension card i take my funds 3 times a year in lump , cash it out and live of that(my wife still works for education dept 3 days a week) although i dont get the pension can still access all that the pensioners get so i will get the $750 ,my super is not that grand ,compared to my son who in 14 years of work has $500,000 in super, i draw about 30k a year sometimes more i can live of it,fly and am building again,Nomadpete ,your super must be HUGE LOL,even so i think you should get the benifits of a pension card ,you have paid your dues Cheers gareth