Give us back our beer, smokes, and super

A schooner of Resch’s is now over $8 at my local (despite the publican absorbing the excise).

Australia has a habit of creating senior-age crunch times. Previously, it was working men (in particular) who were broken by age 63 but couldn’t get the pension until age 65. They had to gut it out for a few years.

Nowadays, Gen X are frequently being made redundant in their late 50s and are unable to access their superannuation until they are 60. It’s criminal.

When One Nation starts talking about giving us access to our super, Gen X are all ears.

With mortgage repayments the single biggest expense for many Gen Xers, accessing superannuation before the arbitrary age of 60 would be a no-brainer. But no. You have to die in a ditch because your super isn’t yours – it’s a ‘national asset’.

So, you can’t smoke, you can’t drink, and you have to give more of your money to the banks for absolutely nothing.

In the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes wrote:

Pauline Hanson says it’s your money to do with as you wish, and Michael de Percy is certain the young are all ears to her message. But if the union-dominated super behemoth is to be cut down to size, we need a few policy ideas on how to do it, not just thought bubbles. Over to you, Pauline and Barnaby – not to mention Andrew Bragg and the leader he ignores cavalierly, Angus Taylor.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Give us back our beer, smokes, and super.