pensioners
Posted by: pony
16th Jun 2011 06:39pm
I dont think us pensioners should have to pay more for water and electricity. The government should also think before they make us go back to work, why do they think we went on a pension. My partner and i do a bit of seasonal work, as we think the Goverment will stop our pension if you dont make an effort, and i think they should try to live like us. We should get much more on our pension since the price of living always goes up more than the CPI does for pensioners
Help Caféstudy members by responding to their questions, or ask your own in Café Chat, and you will get the chance of earning extra rewards. Caféstudy will match these and donate equally to our two chosen Australian charities.
Comments 25
marlu
There should be free water usage for pensioners, South Australia has the highest water and electricity rates in the world. The government is broke so they are passing back the debt to us. You should have concession rates.
Kessa1959
I'm confused - why do you have to pay more for water and electricity? My parents are on a pension and I thought they got discounts for these utilities. I know mum said they get a discount on registration fees and the telephone. They live in a retirement village and don't pay rates or maintenance of their unit but I think their weekly fee is about $130.
Mum says their biggest expense is private health insurance which is a large part of their pension.
They grow their own vegetables and mum looks for meat on special but they still manage a yearly holiday.
I do think that politicians live in a different world though. They like to give themselves huge wage increases but begrudge a little bit more for pensioners who have paid taxes for years.
In Germany though the pension is based on how long they worked there and their wages so someone who earned more during their working life gets a higher pension so fortunately although my father came to Australia in 1951 and only worked for a few years in Germany he still gets a small German pension as well. Maybe Australia needs to have something like this so that those who worked longer and paid more taxes get a higher pension.
Unfortunately my husband and I will have to be self-funded if he wants to retire before I turn 68 as if he retires at 68 benefits aren't available to me as he is 5 years older and I am not able to work due to health problems which means he has to work till he is 73 which I think isn't fair.
marlu
I agree Pony.Others may think that what we live on is a lot. The actual amount that some of us live in 551 a fornight by the time rent is taken out. That equates tp 225.10 a week.That has to cover food water electricty transport telecommunications,medicine personal items such as clothes and entertainment.There are those of us who cannot work and would if things were okay. I have a friend who is thinking about living in a caravan rather than renting owing to the high cost of living.South Australia has the highest water costs. Water should be free for people on long term pensions.The government must review the way society functions.
mairs
It seems to me that all Pollies and NCO's as well do not give a damn. How can they have any conscience , they live in their 'mansions' have great holidays
and probably get a good discount off the electricity and water etc. and get free stuff because of just who they are.We are living on the aged pension and manage to get by
, we certainly can't go on a holiday.The children might offer us air tickets to them. Scared to go as the government would probably take that out of our pension. It's a wonder they don't take presents out of it as well
muzzle
Mairs, Australia has a BIG problem. The aged pension is inadequate, however as more baby boomers, such as myself retire, the tax burden on the younger generation will become unsustainable. Perhaps it is time to for a genuine 'pensioner party that can win enough seats to bring about change. However we need to keep in mind that until all Australians have enough super when they retire, the Country will find it hard to raise the revenue to increase pensions to any great degree. It sucks I know, but you know the saying: 'life's a bitch, then you die'.
pants
totally agree we get a lousy deal from. this mob
pants
totally agree
Big D
i agree.
ninna
We don't pay the same price as non pensioners since we get discounts on all energy, phone, land rates, public transport, car rego & water supplies via the supplier.
Some of us are on welfare due to injury or bad health but we should all at least try to work in a job with hours that suit our disability. Sadly there are many on welfare that are just taking advantage of it so they do not have to work, most of us are capable of contributing somehow whether it be working or volunteering. Too many just stay on the pension without any intention of getting back into the workforce, it is wrong for them to do so but I see it all the time.
I know how hard it is on DSP surviving & bringing up children & agree that the pension is simply not enuf to survive on which is why when I am able to work I do so. Right now after all my bills & mortgage are paid I have $160/week for food, petrol, clothing, entertainment & incidentals. I cannot work atm due to lung & heart problems but as soon as I can I will be working part time again. It is hard but it is possible to do it & we certainly don't have any luxuries, I sent my eldest son to live with his father since he wants to study at uni & I cannot afford to support him on my income & I am waiting for my other child to finish his hsc next year before he can move to his dad's as well to go to uni.
The pension is there to help you get back on yr feet & is not meant to be a permanent arrangement. It is was more income then none of us would try to get back into the workforce & we would become a nation of bludgers with no productivity.
ninna
We don't pay the same price as non pensioners since we get discounts on all energy, phone, land rates, public transport, car rego & water supplies via the supplier.
Some of us are on welfare due to injury or bad health but we should all at least try to work in a job with hours that suit our disability. Sadly there are many on welfare that are just taking advantage of it so they do not have to work, most of us are capable of contributing somehow whether it be working or volunteering. Too many just stay on the pension without any intention of getting back into the workforce, it is wrong for them to do so but I see it all the time.
I know how hard it is on DSP surviving & bringing up children & agree that the pension is simply not enuf to survive on which is why when I am able to work I do so. Right now after all my bills & mortgage are paid I have $160/week for food, petrol, clothing, entertainment & incidentals. I cannot work atm due to lung & heart problems but as soon as I can I will be working part time again. It is hard but it is possible to do it & we certainly don't have any luxuries, I sent my eldest son to live with his father since he wants to study at uni & I cannot afford to support him on my income & I am waiting for my other child to finish his hsc next year before he can move to his dad's as well to go to uni.
The pension is there to help you get back on yr feet & is not meant to be a permanent arrangement. It is was more income then none of us would try to get back into the workforce & we would become a nation of bludgers with no productivity.
marlu
Ninna my doctors have advised me that I will not be able to work ever so not all of us are sponging on the system. I have a daughter. I am a single parent and struggled to get my daughter through high school. My ex would not support his own daughter financially. We went without al lot to survive. Now she is at uniI an bot a bludger. I have major stress and anxiety disiorders with other complex ihealth issues. I wish you well.
Johnny Gee
I live in a Housing commision home, I try to get maintenance there and I am waiting all the time for it, yet they want their rent money straight away and send computer messages to you if you don't pay on time, what a waste these Government Departments are, and they keep increasing the rent to all of us while proprty is falling down around us. The Government don't know the value of money or how to deploy it properly, they run Parliament like a 3 ring circus, what a joke they are, Liberal or Labour does it really matter anymore, voting used to mean something to people, a way of improving Our country and getting things done right, these days small businesses are closing before Our eyes and the Government does not care, Pony You are right they could not live on the measley pension We get, and they go out of there way to destroy Our living standards, I have called this time period as the complacent era, where everyone just takes what the Government of other greedy Multi National Companies say instead of standing up for their rights and fighting back at them. There is no fair play in this country We get a fixed income while prices run us into the ground, Our pensions have no real purchasing power anymore, how do We survive in the future it is a question of principle, do We just take this load of rubbish the Government is serving up or do do We make a stand against it, they say Australia is a Democracy, if that is the case why is Australia the only country that voting is Compulsary, there should be an instant Dismissal rule for governments that break their pledges to the Voters who put them in, maybe that way they would be too scared to lie all the time to Us.
paradox
pony, I've only just recently arrived in the pensioner circle. The first thing I noticed was that I had to drastically reduce my live-style. From earning a reasonable income to being on the old age pension is an enormous drop in available cash. In the 2 years since being made redundant without redundancy pay I have spent roughly $20 000 over and above the pension payment. I have now reached the stage where I rely solely on the pension as I must keep the cash I have left to be able to move into public housing if I ever move up the list. I have reduced my water and electricity consumption to the point where I pop all the fuses at night and have installed a small second hand water tank in my rental home. god only knows what'll happen when my rent goes up. Maybe I sleep in my car, that'll give me more money to spend on meds and food??? So much for the lucky country!!1
Anonymous
lets face it pensioners or their carers are just battling to make ends meet as it is and the higher water electricity gas goes up the harder it is to keep on top of things how on earth are they are able to save nothing thats what
888shelley
OK now for my tuppence worth! I think that there needs to be closer and more frequent checks on who rents public housing and also their status as carers. My friend is 67, she has had 2 strokes, she lives out of town in an area which occasionally gets cut off by landslides and I hate to think what would happen if she had another stroke. She has been on the public housing list for 12 years!!! and they have said she will be lucky to get a house before she dies. Another "friend" of both of us has had 5 pub houses and turns them in when she is sick of living there, she is listed as carer for her 40 yr old son who is deaf but does not live with her, she has listed another son as her carer although he does not live there either and she is listing herself as carer for her boyfriend who is terminally ill and occasionally she lives with him . All receive carers pensions.
This seems totally unfair to me, apparently this is not an uncommon scenario.
lonelyleg62
Pony I agree with everything everyone has said, I fronted a politician and dared him to live on the pension from scratch, no owned house where he doesn't pay rent for, try not to do this with money in the bank, ie just starting completely from scratch and do it for 3 months and at a time of the year when they want to run their air-conditioners 24hrs a day, pay for all your utilities, food and don't forget medications as well, we get $5.95 a fortnight and my medicines cost me over $60 a fortnight, then I'd like to see them survive on a pension.
What happen to Gillards promise to give pensioners extra money for the rise in living cost which will go up again in June when the carbon tax comes in, I don't know about any of you other pensioners but I've certainly not seen an extra $1 in my payment.
Am very disillusioned by all of them. :(
louotter
I completely agree with you. we dont get enough money to keep abreast of the cost of living. I live in housing commission and everytime I get a small rise in my pension they take all of it plus more to pay the rent. This causing me great hardship, and being in housing it is a government department so you would think that they would be more aware of the rises and the need for them to not take more of the money I get in rent and water costs that exceed the small amount of an increase that I receive. They take 25% of my disability and then take 25% of my daughters as she is my carer and then they take 25% of her small earning from her two and half hour a week job she has. total 75 % of all our income on rent for housing and water. They should get their priorities right and as you say try and live on our paultry sums that we have to live on.
marlu
If the house is empty then all the utilities should be switched off. You should be able to turn the water off at the mains,
Sweetness
Hi Shelly
What you have been through has been terrible, They were right when they said it costs alot to come into this world and its even more when you go out of it , They all should be discusted with then selves, You are so right BS .
paradox
888shelley, of course its BS. if they maintain electricity supply even though nobody lives there, why on earth would the new Tennant or owner have to pay a reconnection fee???? Utter Bull droppings!!!
888shelley
Agree 100%!! My father died 2 years ago and the estate has been paying the bills for his house which we are trying to sell. I have just received a water bill for $450, actual water usage was $5.98, what a joke! Electricity was $60! after I rang and 'discussed' the bill with supplier....as I said to them You are charging a dead person for something they have not used for 2 years so they reduced it. Nobody lives there! The argument they gave was that it was AVAIlABLE if someone lived in the house and they had to maintain the supply....it is an older suburb and surrounded by other houses....sounds like BS to me!
Anonymous
Pensioners have to pay more for water and electricity means what? I really dont understand the ethics and poclicy of the Government, in what circumstances or situation they r finding to tax Pensioners who hardly make any extra money to pay. This is not fare.
19chris51
Yes I think you are right pony, no polition could live on normal pension, oh some have lived for a week or two, but come on thats not real, its a joke, in reality they can not do it, and have you seen what they rretire on!!!!!!!!!!!!! everytime we get a CPI rise, my rent goes up, as well as food , utilities thats a joke, blankets in winter, ugh,
Big D
it's difficult to get by.
pony
Hi Chris, Iam so fed up with the politions, they just dont care about anyone but them selfs. Putting money in there own pockets, as pensioners can;t afford to put solar power on. Now they are putting the power up, I just dont know what we can do,my partner and i only live on $30 a day, they should try to live on that and see what it is like, and if you do some work they take it out of your pension. Its a joke. I wish things will get better but they want