I don't receive the age pension, although I am of pensionable age.  I think that wanting an extra $60 per fortnight is probably wanting more than the pension was designed to give.   My mother lived on the pension for many years, the last 15 years as a single pensioner - she did own her own home so that was easier to manage.

There is a reason pollies don’t get the same pension we do.FACT they definately can’t live on it so why do we have to.class system alive and well .and these discriminating morons have the cheek to shove PC down our throats.

I do not receive the age pension but get the Disabilty Support Pension. For people needing to know the rate will increase the same.If you ave high health costs  the increase is not enough, I am glad of an increase no matter how small. Every  little bit helps

Now now no nice Olbaid.

Ayone who has worked here in Australia and paid income tax has provided 7% extra tax in the levy which was place on tax to provide for your pension and pay out of the Pension Fund for those reaching retirement age etc. 

Most dont know that this is still ongoing,  as the politicians strangely enough all agree - just like on their own remuneration, that this never happened. 

But wrong as it is recorded in Hansard that in 1950 with agreement of both Parties, Labor and Lib/Nats Coalition that they shut the Pension Fund and use the proceeds to pay down the large WW2 debt.

Back in the 90's when a highly placed Treasury Official wrote to local papers in letters to Ed etc the fund had around 2 billion in 1990's money in 1950. Now they did repeal the Act. But since the levy was in regulations this went across to Consolidated Revenue along with the Funds when they closed the Pension Fund. Matter of Record. 

So anyone who worked has paid in for this age pension. And still paying income tax? Still paying the levy of 7% just like the Medicare levy is part of the tax system. 

Google and One Nation did point this out too although I found out from the local Tasmanian sadly now passed RIP.

I also have read of the arguments that go on with Associations etc who argue the singles against the marrieds etc when the only thing the married couples have is the sharing cost of the roof over their heads.  Yet electricity is only about cooking for 2 less than for 1 etc etc.

Governments take advantage and love this split because it weakens any case of people power. 

UK has recently increased the no of years of paying income taxes to cover those who arrive and never actually pay income taxes which are the largest block of revenue colleted there just as it is here too. 

Our population now reached 25 million and I can remember when scientists said maximum for water etc for this dry continent was 12 million. 

Which is less than the number of folk paying income taxes today.

Leaving 14 million drawing down on consolidated revenue for New Start, Carers Pensions etc etc etc as well as Age Pension. Some of these go from arriving to leaving with the age pension back to whence fled. Which is reason UK increased I'm told. 

Our age pension cannot be adjusted like the UK has,  as not AFAIK based on how many working years paying income tax due to not acknowledging this went on. Uk is now around 40 years to get full pension I am told.

Immigrants who have chosen to live here are often the most vocal over what they see as Australia being taken advantge of. 

One Nation has put out a paper on this business of levy and thats also a place to look. 

https://www.google.com.au/search? 1st item  

I have health issues that warrant me spending over 50 per fortnight on medicine and i have a hard time making ends meet !

And I dont know where Oilbaid gets the idea that Aged Pensioners get $650 a week from !

He must be on some sort of a lurk if thats what he is getting !

!So pull your head in and get your figures right first !

And yes I do eventually reach the safety net ! But not all my Meds are on the PBS so there is still a very huge difference with them in outlay!

I would like to have an income equal to the age pension. Despite having saved well for 5 decades and continuing to work part time, I still can't get that much income so I'm eating up my savings while others are supported by the taxpayer for no better reason that they didn't save. I'm glad there is an OAP and I wish it were more, but I think OAPs should be rallying in support of the abused and cheated SFRs who are having their hard-won savings stolen by a grossly unfair system that applies a deeming rate higher than 7.8%, when even the government says the average return rate is only 5%.

I know many here claim to get more than 7.8%, and good luck to them. But that just makes the system more wrong, because it means it caters to the privileged and abuses the less fortunate if they sacrificed to save. Is the goal to make everyone except the privileged equally poor in old age?

There will never be enough money to 100% comfortably provide for the aged. Just as there will never be enough for health and public transport.  It's heartbreaking to think of the billions of dollars wasted by some govts on whatever the latest trendy fad is or was. 

Percentage of a working wage retirees receive around the world. Image:OECD

Pensioners in the Netherlands, Turkey and Croatia receive more than 100% of a working wage when they retire. Indeed, Dutch and Turkish pensioners get 101% and 102%, respectively, but Croatians receive a generous 129%.

The data, compiled as part of the OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2017 report, also reveals India (99%), Portugal (95%), and Italy (93%) have very competitive pension rates.

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/pensions-at-a-glance-2017_pension_glance-2017-en

  I would just point out that international butter fat price is dropping at about 8% per week, here in Tasmania food made from butterfat, (cheese, etc.) is rising dramatically, as is petrol which affects most food stuffs. Such rises are not included in our pension.

Neil.

I am on the full OAP and I get $907.60 per FORTNIGHT