Australia Is Such an Overpriced Sh**hole - AAARGH

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Like I said, enough to survive but not enough for that great lifestyle one deserves after a life of hard work.
And if its only one of you, its even tougher on that $17k as my mother can attest to.

In comparison, that same $17k or $27k/year if spent overseas can have you living very well, thank you very much.
If you sold here you could be living the lifestyle of a Colombian drug dealer in something like this for $120k and still have a few hundred K in the kitty for all the additional niceties that you could now afford, but couldn't dream of in Oz.



HHD-SND01 #582

I've spent some time in Colombia, You can get a very nice place for $120K or even $70K, so long as you're outside of a major city. Not all those involved with the drug work is in the jungle. Many live in even nicer places than what's pictured here.
Colombia is a Beautiful country.

[sailorboy1]

Well Australia isn't sounding like all that bad a place to me. I'm sure there's the "never happy" thing where regardless of what you have you want more.

I doubt the Australia pension really was designed to be the sole source for living and one was still expected to have some savings to go along wit it. Sounds better than the US socail security when you look at the total package.

But lets all remember that the more social type programs a country has the more expensive it will be to live there. The money for those things have to come from somewere.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by cat man do

.............
Last year rates went up 25% on some properties I have, yet average Joe's wages did not increase to cover those either.
............

Perhaps the average Joe doesn't have "some properties" but still seems happy to be living in Oz. This SOUNDS like the rich complaining about not being able to get richer - of course I might be wrong

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Perhaps the average Joe doesn't have "some properties" but still seems happy to be living in Oz.

Average Joe may not have an option but to grin and bear it, you do realise that there are many thousands of families living day to day, paypacket to paypacket?

This SOUNDS like the rich complaining about not being able to get richer - of course I might be wrong

Of course you are
I can afford the increase, don't like it and dont see anything for it but can afford it.

Many others who are living paypacket to paypacket could not and they are the ones I have concerns for.
Fuel, food, power and rates have all risen, paypackets for many have not.
Crime is on the increase, broken families are becoming more common.

People keep saying these ever increasing costs are the price for living in the so called "Lucky Country".
Others call it gouging the public for fat cats pay rises.

[four winds]

A few days ago I had to have my truck in the shop for brake work. I was on the road so couldn't do it myself. $450 to sort it out and prevent my brakes from burning my truck to the ground.

The technician related a story of a trip to the hospital. A fractured ankle had sent him to the emergency room. After several hours of waiting, with only two Ibuprofen given for pain, he finally saw a doctor. After two minutes of examination the doc said, "Yep, you need a specialist, nothing I can do."

They applied a soft cast and sent him on his way, with a referral and a prescription for pain medication.

The bill came later that month. $4000. The two Ibuprofen cost $1500.

[southace]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Average Joe may not have an option but to grin and bear it, you do realise that there are many thousands of families living day to day, paypacket to paypacket?


Of course you are
I can afford the increase, don't like it and dont see anything for it but can afford it.

Many others who are living paypacket to paypacket could not and they are the ones I have concerns for.
Fuel, food, power and rates have all risen, paypackets for many have not.
Crime is on the increase, broken families are becoming more common.

People keep saying these ever increasing costs are the price for living in the so called "Lucky Country".
Others call it gouging the public for fat cats pay rises.

Dig deep into paypacket to paypacket workers most of them smoke and drink and get greedy with morgages and flash cars and unessesery expences... I use to be like that but I got smart...I Save $300 a week due to giving up smoking , drinking and saving hard cash . = $12,000 a year

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Well Australia isn't sounding like all that bad a place to me. I'm sure there's the "never happy" thing where regardless of what you have you want more.

I doubt the Australia pension really was designed to be the sole source for living and one was still expected to have some savings to go along wit it. Sounds better than the US socail security when you look at the total package.

But lets all remember that the more social type programs a country has the more expensive it will be to live there. The money for those things have to come from somewere.

Don i've just early retired at 59, rentals i have fund my wife and my retirement, by doing it this way and not being "self funded" we can still claim medicare, chemist/medicine discounts, travel discounts etc if we wish.

Now if we retired with say 800k in the bank and self funded using the interest we would be out in the cold, no assistance NOTHING yet all the taxes we paid in our lifetime had a "pension component" in them but simply because of the money saved we would be left on our own until the money is gone!!!!

Everything here is means tested before you can claim a cent, if you save for your retirement you are screwed if you have no funds then yes you can claim the full pension, by the way your house is not included in the means test.

It all depends on whether you see the pension as your right, it is there as a lifeline but in no way can be seen as a gravy train.

Only if you have served as a politician do you get a free Government Funded Retirement!!!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

Everything here is means tested before you can claim a cent, if you save for your retirement you are screwed if you have no funds then yes you can claim the full pension, by the way your house is not included in the means test.

What an interesting system. Is there a diference between investing your money in real estate as opposed to the stock market in this system?

Is the point to try to keep all the money fluid in the system?

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by four winds

A few days ago I had to have my truck in the shop for brake work. I was on the road so couldn't do it myself. $450 to sort it out and prevent my brakes from burning my truck to the ground.

The technician related a story of a trip to the hospital. A fractured ankle had sent him to the emergency room. After several hours of waiting, with only two Ibuprofen given for pain, he finally saw a doctor. After two minutes of examination the doc said, "Yep, you need a specialist, nothing I can do."

They applied a soft cast and sent him on his way, with a referral and a prescription for pain medication.

The bill came later that month. $4000. The two Ibuprofen cost $1500.

On sunday last i had BAD chest pains, my family called an Ambulance it arrived 20mins later (we live 14 miles out of town) after the 2 paramedics quizzed me they took me to the outpatients/emergency department constantly monitoring by ECG on the way also offering painkiller but i declined .... We arrive at hospital 30 mins later. COST- $000:00.

I'm immediately put into an observation cubicle and connected to an ECG machine and a Canular set up, no real pain for an hour or so then extremely severe! This pain cycle occured 3 or 4 times, they kept me dosed with Morphine, i think three syringes in 6 or 7 hours.

A chest Xray and blood test was ordered and the individual clinicians called in to effect same (on a sunday)

Diagnosis- A torn muscle inside my chest cavity!!! Cost $000.00

Then three days later i kicked my little two and fractured it, off to my local GP he checks it out says yes probably fractured however no complications writes a referral for 'X'Ray Cost- $50:00 GP......$46:00 'X' Ray Total $96:00

I chose to go to my GP because it's convenient and i like to pay my own way, so what in your opinion would my week of very unusual medical visits cost in the USA??? I say unusual because i hardly ever see doctors it was just a bad week ...LOL

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

What an interesting system. Is there a diference between investing your money in real estate as opposed to the stock market in this system?

Is the point to try to keep all the money fluid in the system?

You will pay 'capital gains' if you liquidate anything, the best idea i can see is to have low maintenance / high return, maybe industrial property?, whatever requires the least input from you and income divide, pay some tax and claim all benefits that your age allows.
My parents did it tough relying on the pension and i appreciate there are many in the community doing it tough BUT we have always considered our retirement never expecting anyone else be it government or private to fund what we want to do.

Whinging is for whingers, Aussies get on with it and move on otherwise we get labelled as Poms and we don't like that at all. Cheers Frank

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by southace

Dig deep into paypacket to paypacket workers most of them smoke and drink and get greedy with morgages and flash cars and unessesery expences... I use to be like that but I got smart...I Save $300 a week due to giving up smoking , drinking and saving hard cash . = $12,000 a year

Does your generalisation apply to everyone?
How does your story relate to the pensioner who only gets $300 a week?.

Like I said earlier, you are either on $100k a year or still living at home with parents paying the bills if you can save $300/week

Average Joe is not so fortunate.

[four winds]

Last time I saw a doctor was the exit interview when leaving the Air Force about 27 years ago. Before that was the physical when entering the military.

So, I can't say beyond a wild guess. But just the ambulance ride would have been thousands alone if I'm to believe what others have told me. A LifeFlight on a medivac chopper for an auto accident victim is 10 grand minimum, though that can be worth every penny to the victim.

In the US if you don't have insurance they charge much more. That was the case for the ankle injury I referenced.

I need to apply to the Veterans Admin for medical care sometime. And wait for months to get a physical as I'm approaching the mid 50's in age. Then a doctor's visit is a small co-pay of just a few dollars, and the same for any medicine needed.

[Lagoon4us]

Yer it wasn't a great week, i too rarely see the inside of a doctors den BUT i guess the point i'm making IS there are always trade-offs in where we CHOOSE to live. Australia is FAR from being a ****-hole, personally i believe it is a lucky country that can be improved big-time!
But i love the place, we do a lot right, it's a relatively safe country and its a stable country.
I'll always proudly fly our flag on the transom and always will our boat be registered as an Aussie boat....It's a given.

[Mr B]

The best insurance in Australia is ambulance insurance, It costs about $60-00 a year,
I ride motorbikes and sail and snowski, A ride in a helicopter ambulance starts at about $5000-00, Even a car ambulance,costs a grand or so,

Ambulance in OZ is not free,

I had chest pains, I had a bad cough (Whooping Cough) and coughed the skin thing off my heart.
Immediate bed in hospital, they admited me, CT Scan, ECG, and all the other gizmo's and tests they did on me, Total cost, Zilch,

I very rarely go to hospital or doctors, So dont know the stuff they have in there.

I paid taxes all my life, I was a worker, I cant get the bloody pension, But I should be entitled to it,
It was a right years ago, as you paid your taxes, the pension, But the Govt is slowly whittling it away and giving nothing,

Unless your a slimy Politition, who just give themselves everything, including air travel when they retire from Parliment, Not old age,

And thats bloody wrong,

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Mr B

The best insurance in Australia is ambulance insurance, It costs about $60-00 a year,
I ride motorbikes and sail and snowski, A ride in a helicopter ambulance starts at about $5000-00, Even a car ambulance,costs a grand or so,

Ambulance in OZ is not free,

I had chest pains, I had a bad cough (Whooping Cough) and coughed the skin thing off my heart.
Immediate bed in hospital, they admited me, CT Scan, ECG, and all the other gizmo's and tests they did on me, Total cost, Zilch,

I very rarely go to hospital or doctors, So dont know the stuff they have in there.

I paid taxes all my life, I was a worker, I cant get the bloody pension, But I should be entitled to it,
It was a right years ago, as you paid your taxes, the pension, But the Govt is slowly whittling it away and giving nothing,

Unless your a slimy Politition, who just give themselves everything, including air travel when they retire from Parliment, Not old age,

And thats bloody wrong,

Here in Queensland our Ambulance insurance is grouped in with our power bill so no one pays for evacuation by vehicle, air or sea. Although i heard a whisper they were re-looking at it.
Personally i'm happy with services provided it suits me, us and our families.