Why shouldn’t retired politicians be made to wait too?
I saw this comment on Facebook that struck a chord with me and was too good not to share:
“Joe Hockey wants us to work until we’re 70, but he could retire tomorrow and start getting his parliamentary pension straight away. Wouldn’t it be good if retired parliamentarians had to wait until they too are 70 before they starting receiving their pensions?”
What a great idea.
Why shouldn’t retired politicians be made to wait too?
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Social Constructs
Return to home pageRight on !
Perhaps it needs to be means tested to on the same basis as the seniors pension= We should not have to fund the retirement of the people that can afford to fund their own….Its only fair….We have paid them well above OECD average for their whole career.. time to cut the strings when they retire! We should not be expected to fund inheritance as well!
Michael
In Animal farm the overriding commandment ‘All Animals are equal’ was surreptitiously changed to:
“All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”
In Joe’s case the mantra was that the ‘ the age of entitlement is over’ so can we expect the records to be amended to include ‘for you’.
Owen in a word Yes
Another supporter here for Owen’s concept. The more ways in which those who formulate the rules under which we all live ALSO have those same rules apply to themselves, the better we can expect the rules to be written. The more legislators are exempt for such rules, human nature being what it is, the less focus such legislators will have on their fairness and equity,
Never going to happen – because they are all in the same trough up to their snouts. None of them has the balls to make a stand and say they want to reform it and make it fair.
It’s time that these rules were made by others NOT in parliament, totally out fo their hands. The same as every other worker in the country, the same pay rules, the same pension rules, nothing free when you stop work.
But it’s NEVER going to happen.
As far as I am aware, politicians elected in 2004 or after have to wait until they are 55 to access their super. To compensate them for this terrible imposte, their employer superannuation contribution was increased to 15.4%. Ours, of course, is frozen at 9.5% for years because they chose to get rid of the mining tax.
But that would simply mean they ingratiate themselves even more with the lucrative private sector while in office, in order to secure themselves a well-paid job on retirement form Parliament, eg Mark Vaile etc.
Janet
Kaye, that means Abbott can now retire. Oh goody.
In days gone past the thinking was that many who altruistically abandoned their careers to become politicians were unlikely to be able to get back on the ladder when political life ended.
Experience shows that it is seldom the case nowadays (equally with reference to altruism!) – so, along with reconsidering what is reasonable by way of allowances while a person is in an elected position, we also need to consider whether politicians should be any better off than the general public when they leave Parliament.
How many who become redundant or otherwise unemployed at 50+ find it easy to obtain employment?
Sauce for the goose?
Let the politicians save out of their generous salaries while in office to plug the gap, if such arises, until they too reach 70.
And lift the level of employer contributions for the rest of the population fortunate enough to be in employment.
The same rules for their pension, AND their super. it’s only fair,
great idea
This will gladden your hearts, NOT!
Politician entitlements: Former MPs High Court bid to boost allowances
Adam Gartrell. August 9, 2015 – 12:15AM
…last month, four former lower house MPs – Labor’s Barry Cunningham, Tony Lamb and Barry Cohen and Liberal John Moore – issued the court with a writ of summons seeking a boost to their already generous post-parliament payments. The men want to use section 51 of the constitution – made famous in the classic Australian comedy The Castle – to challenge legislative changes the Gillard government made in 2011 and a series of subsequent Remuneration Tribunal decisions that have slightly slowed the growth of their retirement allowances.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/politician-entitlements-former-mps-high-court-bid-to-boost-allowances-20150807-giuc21.html#ixzz3iHR4wHDJ
If only!
I suspect that they would never pass the law to make it be.
Michael,
As an ex-PM who has sucked off the public teat for over twenty years with several ministerial portfolios, Abbott is set for life which is probably why he doesn’t give a shit what happens to the country cause he is earning a packet now and will do so until he dies. He is spending his time rewarding his buds while he can.
Casablanca,
“It’s understood the four men sought financial assistance from the Commonwealth to mount their challenge. Well-placed sources say their application was thrown in the bin.”
My thoughts too Michael! The fact that they work under a different set of rules allows the sort of blatant abuse of anything within their power. I am a big fan of penalties for poor service! If a politician has been found to break the law in any manner, in my mind, they forfeit any parliamentary priveleges! No pension! No gold travel pass! Your years of service have been negated by your failure to comply with the law! The pollies believe they are above the rest of us because they are! It doesn’t matter what they do! They still get a walloping pension and a huge number of post service perks that many are definitely not entitled to!
Fat chance we have of getting those sort of provisions in place?
The lunatics are in charge of the asylum!
I would love to write my own rules regarding my pay and retirement plans and how much i think i am entitled to receive for the rest of my life,i could just march into the boss’s office and slap it on his\ her desk and walk away a happy man.”””
We must not forget the allowances that go with!!!!!
What a super idea.
That was witty, John. Took me ten minutes before the penny dropped.
Could AIMN contributing authors write a joint submission to the review panel for the politicians ‘entitlements’ detailing this idea, and a range of other suggestions for bringing these parliamentary benefits into line with the majority peoples circumstances – that would be very egalitarian and in line with how the snout feeders currently like to pretend that they aspire to.
Heard this on ABC radio at the height of the Bishop scandal. R.N. Breakfast read a short list of perks being enjoyed by our former but still active self indulgers including one individual who last year blew $50,000 on free plane rides and he left parliament 35 ( I repeat) 35 years ago. Who the hell do these people think they are? We’ve got more than enough royals sucking on the tits without this kind of parasitic shite. Where the hell do these bludgers get off the free bus!
Phil, it wouldn’t get past the first hurdle. It’d have to be legislated, and who votes on legislation? The pollies themselves. Not one would vote for it, unless they’re about to turn 70 themselves.
Now there’s a thought. Let’s vote for old people. 🙂
Why do Politicians retire and get such big wopping Wages for doing NOTHING it is Disgusting. Abbott is stopping payment for so many community places some that help young children get Food etc…
Better still, let’s make the pollies wait until 70, and then give them an assets test, before they receive their largesse.
The age of entitlement is over. They should be made to give up all ‘entitlements’, on leaving work, just like the rest of us.
The ridiculously generous superannuation enjoyed so young by ex-politicians is just one of the items of political entitlement that need trimming. There are many other excesses on their caviar and cream buffet. This includes travel, accommodation, gifts and numerous other perks.
Repeat offenders regarding spurious claims should, at the very least, have conditions of strict independent supervision of any further claims to entitlement.
I resent paying for pollies to swan around swilling piss with ‘celebrities’ and lobbyists at soirees and junkets.
I also think politicians should have to demonstrate better professionalism and accountability of behavior to earn the rewards they currently reap, even legitimately.
For starters, they should have to demonstrate sobriety whilst officially at work in the parliamentary chambers, reinforced by a policy of mandatory broad-spectrum substance testing at the doors of the houses.
I deeply resent the decision making processes regarding the broadest public good being in the unsteady hands of a bunch of drunks and coked-up clowns.
I would like to see politician salaries variable and based upon the mean wage. There are no educational pre-requisites for members of parliament and their renumeration should reflect this. They are, after all, supposed to be our representatives not our rulers. Paying MP’s exorbitant salaries and benefits has effectively insulated them from the very problems that average Aussies need them to address.
Absolutely they shouldn’t get their obscenely generous pension until they turn 70. Why one rule for them and another for us?
In total agreement. Let them wait until 70 and means test it.