I've worked construction with at least seven tradies still working in their 70's. Amazing guys with still physical and mental abilities that left a lot of 20-somethings on site in shame. They obviously worked sensibly and did everything right. Why should we reward those who did everything wrong and couldn't keep up the pace and crumbled at just 50 years of age? That's negative.

Retirement is good for us. It's those who keep working that we should worry about
Forcing Australians to work later into their 60s could be detrimental to their sense of autonomy, health and wellbeing, a study has found.
An elderly couple walk through a park.
Forcing Australians to work later into life could be impacting their health and wellbeing.
SBS News 24 March 2024.
Key points
Forcing people to work until 67 could damage their health and wellbeing, a study has found.   
Only 30 per cent of Australians can afford to retire before they are eligible for a pension.
Retirement significantly improves older people's physical and mental health, research shows.
Taking away people's autonomy as to when they retire and forcing them to work until 67 to qualify for a government pension could damage their health and wellbeing.   

With current debate swirling about who should pay for Australia's aged care burden, a study has found people more likely to experience all the benefits of retirement have been able to make the decision to stop work earlier.

But only 30 per cent of Australians can afford to retire before they are eligible for a pension, according to Dr Rong Zhu, a senior lecturer in economics at Flinders University College of Business, Government and Law.



"We need to consider the unintended consequences of delayed retirement for health and wellbeing via a reduced sense of internal locus of control," he told AAP.
READ MORE

The most (and least) happy Australians — and how we compare to the world

"If workers work beyond retirement age, they are less likely to consider life outcomes as a result of their own choices and actions."

This can impinge on all the benefits workers might otherwise get to look forward to at that stage of life.
Why retirement is good for us
Expert Rong Zhu says the unintended consequences of delayed retirement need to be considered.

"Our paper shows retirement significantly improves older people's physical and mental health as well as their subjective well-being as measured by life satisfaction," Dr Zhu said.

"One third of the positive impact of retirement on health and one fifth of that on wellbeing can be explained by the retirement-driven increase in internal locus of control.

"Facing an increased eligibility age for the age pension, if an older person defers retirement, then the health and wellbeing benefits associated with retirement also come at a later date."


$50,000 and $70,000: Why these figures are so important to your retirement

The increase in the retirement age to 67 for men and women can be tough, when they might have been enjoying the benefits of retirement a lot earlier, he added.

Australia's public pension take-up rate is the second highest in all of the OECD countries, with about 70 per cent of retirees receiving either a partial or full payment.

But a recent review into the aged care system found within the next 40 years, the proportion of people accessing the pension will decline by about 15 per cent, with the overall wealth of older Australians to rise thanks to increased superannuation and assets.
An elderly woman sits on a bench.
About 70 per cent of Australian retirees receive either a partial or full pension. Source: AAP
The government-commissioned Aged Care Task Force has recommended richer baby boomers should contribute more to aged care to take pressure off the federal budget and allow more support for those with limited means to access residential and in-home services.

The government funds about 75 per cent of residential aged care and 95 per cent of home care costs.

Reforms are needed to make the system more sustainable, according to task force member and former NSW premier Mike Baird.

"There are constraints and demands across all parts of budget," he said.

"Asking those who have the means to contribute more is a logical step and having a safety net for those that don't have the resources also provides some protection, so it's a good balance."

Greens announce plan to lower pension age and increase payment rate
2022-04-08
greens.org.au
Greens Welfare spokesperson Senator Janet Rice and Queensland Lead Senate candidate Penny Allman-Payne will today in Brisbane announce the Greens’ fully-costed plan to return the retirement age back down from 67 to 65 and grant every Australian Earlier Access to the Age Pension.

This comes in addition to the Greens' recently announced commitment to raise the rate of the pension to $88 a day.

Senator Rice will join Penny Allman-Payne, who is on track to win Pauline Hanson’s seat in the Senate for the Greens, to campaign on issues that matter to Queenslanders, including the party’s plan to support older Australians.

Lowering the eligibility age will expand access to the pension for hundreds of thousands of older Australians currently living in poverty, and provide a well-deserved earlier retirement with guaranteed income support for people who have worked their entire lives on low wages in order to take care of their families.

Since the Rudd Government’s 2009 increase to the pension age from 65 to 67, Liberal and Labor have been failing low-income older Australians.

Across the country, thousands of older Australians approaching retirement age have limited capacity to continue working or have been excluded from the labour market entirely. Thousands more are in physically demanding, minimum wage jobs, forced to keep working an additional two years because of successive Labor and Liberal governments failing to give them the support they need.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP says that if the Greens are successful in their campaign to kick the Liberals out and secure balance of power, they will use their leverage to push to ensure older voters and the working class aren’t left in the dust again by a future Labor government.

This is the first time the Greens have taken early-access to the Age Pension to an election, a call heard from older Australians who say they’ve been abandoned by Labor. The Greens announcement today in Queensland reflects the party’s optimism for winning Hanson’s Senate seat, the swing lower house seats of Griffith, Brisbane and Ryan, and belief that older voters especially in Queensland no longer feel represented by Labor or Liberal.

Quotes attributable to Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens:
“Nobody should be forced to work forever in this country, and nobody should retire into poverty. The Greens are proud to fight for the right to retire at 65 with an income that will actually pay the bills.

“There is a poverty crisis amongst older Australians, and it’s worse for older women, who are the fastest growing group facing homelessness.

“Older people who have worked in minimum wage jobs and in manual labour are being forced to look for work instead of enjoying the retirement they deserve.

“In balance of power, the Greens will fight to restore respect and dignity in ageing, and ensure that it’s rest and revitalisation, not poverty, awaiting people at the end of their working years. By making billionaires pay their fair share of tax, older Australians can retire earlier with dignity.”

Quotes attributable to Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens spokesperson for family, ageing and community services:
“The Liberals and Labor have abandoned older voters and working families across the country. There are hundreds of thousands of older Australians living in poverty, counting the days until their next birthday so they can finally reach pension age.

“Enabling earlier access to the Age Pension will reduce poverty in Australia, and support thousands of older Australians who deserve better from our government.

“Thousands of older working people are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to retire. Many are working for starvation wages, in back-breaking jobs - in manufacturing, in hospitality, in supermarkets, as labourers and salespeople - people who have worked hard all their lives and are being forced to wait an extra two years to retire. The Greens won’t make them wait any longer.

“Anyone who has ever struggled to put food on their table, or had to make a choice between paying the rent on time or getting the medication they need, knows how long an extra two-year wait really is.

“For too long, both Labor and the Liberals have pushed through policies that make the rich richer and have left everyone else behind. It’s time the government takes care of low income workers and older Australians.”

Well trust the Australian greens to come up with another good idea.  Think I will put a vote in for them.  At least in the Senate anyway.   

No why should they stick to that?.  They were voted in and have every right to put their ideas to the people.  They also have the balance of power in the Senate.  So the greens are doing what they should.   

i could retire today and never have to worry about money

why would i?

so i can become a lazy worm who doesnt want to contribute to society ?

any person with a shred of integrity would never want to be a parasite on society.

being a taker is disgusting and unnatural

no other animal species 'retires" and sits on a beach getting fat.

when you go against nature , you lose but only 100% of the time

and the greens party who should be in sync with nature think this sort of attitude is acceptable ?

f them

Crane operator Alan Blevin unimpressed by expectation he will work until he is 70



Sydney Morning Herald
May 2, 2014

Imagine a construction site filled with 70-year-old workers.   

For crane operator Alan Blevin, the federal government’s announcement it will raise the retirement age could make this vision a reality.

Crane operator Alan Blevin will have to work until he is 70 to get the pension.


On Friday, Treasurer Joe Hockey revealed Australians born after 1965 will have to continue working until they are 70 before they can access the age pension.   

That means Mr Blevin, who is now 47, will be one of millions of people forced to stay on the job for more than 20 years before he is eligible for the pension.

"It’s unthinkable," he says. "There is no chance I will be able to work until I am 70.   

"My left knee is already giving in because I’m bending down, loading gear from trucks and guiding cranes all day. But I can’t afford to just stop. I have to keep paying the rent and bills.’’

The rise to 70 by 2035, which is quicker than recommended by the National Commission of Audit, will be particularly tough for people in manual jobs, says Mr Blevin, who lives in Sans Souci and works 60 hours a week on a Zetland building project for Becton.

"When you are driving a crane it’s mentally exhausting, too. You can’t slack off because you could kill someone. You have to be sharp and alert. I know a few guys in their mid 50s now who are struggling now even though they are quite fit for their age."   

After working as a bricklayer's labourer for more than 15 years, Mr Blevin retrained as a crane driver to ease the pressure on his back. Although he now earns about $2000 each week, his income is unpredictable.

"One minute you have a good run of work, the next you might not have work for months. You take what you can get and just put up with it.

"Ideally I’d like to cut back to 30 hours a week in the next 10 years. My wife is studying to be a psychologist so it might be possible once she is qualified. But you can’t predict the future."

With daughters about to have families of their own, Mr Blevin said he would like to retire by 65 so he can spend time with his grandchildren.

"I’m sure the politicians won’t be going until they are 70. It’s ridiculous. But at least I’d get a discounted bus pass to get to work."   

whiteknight wrote on Jan 5^th, 2025 at 5:40pm:


Mr Blevin is 47 tears old now. I he puts an extra 10% into his super now and for the next 18 years when he reaches 65 he will have enough in his super to retire at 65. Come on Mr Blevin take control of your affairs.