Retirement money?

The government has not "backflipped" on their plans to get hold of the superannuation funds of the "wealthy". They have simply "delayed" them. They are planning to put in legislation this term but the legislation won't take effect until next term. They tell us that, this way, they are not "breaking any promises".

Really? Perhaps that can be argued but the very fact that they believe they need to do this should be ringing alarm bells. What do they need all this extra money for?

They have been trying to tell us that they "inherited a trillion dollar debt" from the previous government. That has been shown to be false. The amount was about half that and the financial whizz kids who watch the economy generally agree that the previous government, while it could have done better, didn't handle the economy too badly. Of course they weren't promising us all those nice lollies the present government has been promising. (I have yet to see even a lick of a lolly but never mind because someone even poorer than me must be getting a whole chocolate bar. )

Governments seem to waste a lot of money. It doesn't matter. It isn't their money they are wasting. It is ours.  

I thought of this as I read an article about an "award winning" aged care complex which was built in a remote part of another state. It was built so that the local aboriginal elders who could no longer care for themselves could live in a culturally acceptable environment "on country". It cost some millions to build but it has never been occupied "because of design faults". Yes, this is an "award winning" project but it has apparently never had a single resident. What is going on? How many tax payer dollars have been wasted when being a little less "culturally sensitive" might have provided something which could actually have been used? Don't misunderstand me. It is nice to be culturally sensitive but is this going too far? Is this sort of thing actually disadvantaging the very people it is supposed to help? I suspect it is.

My tiny superannuation fund is not yet affected by the government's proposed changes but I saved to put money into that. I have tried to do the right thing and be as independent as I can in the "retirement" I am still to enjoy. Other people have also tried to do the right thing. Saying that it will only affect a small number of people is all very well but the government will see it as easy money with which they can do whatever they like. They will not be able to resist adding to it.

Is the answer to spend more now and rely on the aged pension after all?