Your say: could you survive on $273 a week?

thanks ninemsn for cutting my last comment in half. i'm really annoyed at all these people saying that pensioners haven't planned properly. have you ever looked at the facts of super and not thought just about yourselves for a moment. super has not been around long enough for many pensioners to retire on. i would like to give you a case study. a guy worked very hard for about 20 years in the same factory. one day it suddenly goes into liquidation. he discovers to his shock that they had never paid his super even though its all on the paperwork - the money is just not there. he is nearly 60 and still slaving away to try and get enough money in his super to retire but his hips are failing. what is he supposed to do apart from relying on a pension? he has paid all these high taxes for what? there are so many stories that completely stuff up people's plans for retirement. so don't get all high and mighty on pensioners.

You were all your life and pay every tax that is thrown at you! We are told to invest in super and even though we are taxed on or income, we are taxed again before we get our super! We invest in property we are taxed yearly if the property is worth more than the estimated amount! etc. etc. etc. So all the tax that we paid in our young life will not be returned to us as pensioners. SO WHAT WAS THE POINT IN PAYING TAX????? Where are our rewards for working hard and donating to our politicians who are looked after when they are old? Where are our free medicines for pensioners, free transport and free utilities, eg electricity, gas phone etc. SHAME ON YOU KEVIN RUDD BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO LIVE ON $273.00 A WEEK!!!

paying taxes entitles somone to recive a pension does it? well then explain why pensions r going to be aboloished by 2020? because we have superanuation plans. butif that is case why should people pay tax now to not recive later. i am serious. by the time my generation is old enough to recive one, it will be gone and we'll be expected to live off super. so where is my pension money going to go? it doesnt. it means my generation, gets ripped off by predocessors, our money we earn now and pay in tax, goes to support people who stopped working before i was born. explain please why i should go to work to pay tax that is going to somone who, because they r old and feeble, belive they r entitled to more than they deserve. ..and as the person on the pension said, they have 126 a week for food, yet there weekly cost is only 150 before food and transport? who do you know that only pays 150 for rent power phone and gas a week. Typical retards in australia who will fall for anything in the media

and to the idiot who thinks people wil lbelive he only gets 280 a fortnight on a disability pension, all anyone has to do is look at centrelink webiste and see the amount they pay to pensioners, you talk crap how boutt you double that and then think about all the extra incentives they give, and if you dont have them dont complain to us, how about you use your brain and go and ask why you r not reciving all the benifits you r entitiled to. everyone is entitiled to phone electricity, half price taxi and more on a pension,now to those that say but i have a car they dont let me have taxi card, if you have a car why would they give you half price taxi card it your own fault for thinking you r being smart. i get sick and tired of seeing complaints about money and how old people get the rough endof stick. they dont, they have it to eas as far as im concerened. our grandparents parents never had pensions like our grandparents recives so why r ours so speacail now they do?

to all those people out there saying pensioners need more money or they need more benifits, how about you take into account everything they get at compensated rates.they dont have work related expenses they can only deduct off there tax etc. i myself am schitzophrenic yet i am unable to claim a pension because it is not a permanent impairment as they say. so i live on 365 a fortnight, paying for medication, taxis the works but i dont get any taxi card like pensioners, or discounted electric and phone. i dont get any of that and to be honest i dont think they deserve it just because they have worked all there life. so what. my own grandparents do not recive a pension bar a basic war pension and because off their assets it is a pitance. but they do fine. so to all those who complain, how about you stop living in a dream world and wanting everything that opens and shuts,and take into account tha others live in abject poverty and have no problems making ends meet, they just lack luxuries.

I am disgusted by some of the comments out there especially by Uni Students, Dole Bludgers

I was grocery shopping with my boyfriend last week, and it made me feel so sad to see the pensioners near by. These poor people had hardly anything in their shopping trolley's, and i felt so guilty for having a full shopping trolley. The pension definatley has to have an overhaul. this is going beyond the joke. Im sort of feeling glad that im not a pensioner at the moment. i definatley wouldnt be able to survive on $273 a week.

Being a sole parent, not by choice! Ex- works overseas and pays no child support, I get a minimal pension, but without it, we would struggle even more and who misses out? The children!. Sole parents, are not all out for the grab, many of us are people just like you, and work hard to survive to provide a loving home with good values. Why are those who do the right thing categorised, whilst others can rip of the system? I dont have very much super, because I work part time, to ensure I am there for my kids. I live in financial hardship, and when I retire, I will again live in hardship, because I have not had the chance to gain much super. There is no equality here! Most women will retire with as little as $5000, men with min $30,000, (current stats). Most families living in poverty are sole parent families where the women is the full time carer. Predominately elderly women receive the pension and many of those live in poverty! Look at the facts and see whats really going on!

No way We need about $320 per week to make end meet.Politicians who say we can wait till next ,just wait till the federal elections come around again and let see if he can wait till the following year for our vote.

In 1987 I was paid $1700.oo pw and paid a large amount in tax. As this tax was to help the more unfortunate to live a better life I didn't mind so much. Unfortunately later that year I had an accident at home and am now a disabled person trying to live on $276 a week, after Gas, Electricity, Phone and Rent, there is only $126 a week for Food, Clothing, Medication, Transport and any thing else I need. Even with the Medicare discount for medication, it still costs me about $27pw and I only get a small amount of medication. I have no relatives to slip me a few bucks every now and then or to take me to the specialists each month, I have to pay for a Taxi and that’s not cheep either. So give me a break about pensioners getting some thing for free or we deserve what's happening to us because we didn’t plane for the future. If we have any more than $38,000.oo in the bank or in any investments, including owning your home, we loose ALL our discounts and could even loose the pension it self.