Tidal wave of retirees could break the bank
- From: The Courier-Mail
- December 28, 2009
- Will pay less tax, work less
- A ‘double whammy’ to Australia’s finances
AUSTRALIA is on the crest of a demographic tsunami, with the first wave of 5.3 million baby boomers eligible for the age pension from next week.
The country’s money box faces the double whammy of paying for older Australians who need extra care and for workers who are retiring in greater numbers than ever before.
With the pension age for women still being phased up to 65, those born in 1946 – the first year of the baby boomer generation – will be entitled to claim a government-funded age pension from next year, when they turn 64.
Men born in 1946 will be in line for a pension a year later, when they turn 65.
Sticking with GDP could be the best safeguard for nature.
Sticking with GDP could be the best safeguard for nature Tom Levitt 20th November, 2009 Although much maligned as a measurement of progress, some believe a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measurement that includes natural capital could be the way forward Economic growth is ‘destroying more than it is creating’, said French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Continue Reading →
Can we handle the truth
Can we handle the truth?
The International Energy Agency (IEA) released World Energy Outlook 2009 today. Even before the sham was shipped, it was exposed as a big ‘ol bucket of lies. Seems the current administration thinks Americans can’t handle the truth, so we need to apply some pressure to keep the lid on the facts. If this country’s paragon of transparency (i.e., world’s leading liar) and master of hope (i.e., wishful thinking) actually trusted the American people, perhaps we could avert chaos.
We cannot change the world by changing our buying habits
We cannot change the world by changing our buying habits
Small actions allow people to overlook the bigger ones and still claim they are being environmentally responsible
The ‘licensing effect’: Researchers have found that buying green can establish the moral credentials that license subsequent bad behaviour. Photograph: Martin Godwin
How many times have you heard the argument that small green actions lead to bigger ones?
I’ve heard it hundreds of times: habits that might scarcely register in their own right are still useful because they encourage people to think of themselves as green, and therefore to move on to tougher actions.
Our swagger is big, but others are unconvinced
Our swagger is big, but others are unconvinced
JULIAN LEE MARKETING EDITOR
October 20, 2009
AUSTRALIA may think the world of itself but the world does not think as much of it, at least not when it comes to a business environment, culture and social welfare, says a poll of citizens of the eight largest economies.
Foreigners rated Australia for its world-class lifestyle but marked it down as a place to do business, the quality of its products and services, its government and its contribution to the global economy, a survey by a think tank, the Reputation Institute, found.
It’s the boom stupid
It’s the boom, stupid. Michael Stutchbury, Economics editor | October 20, 2009 Article from: The Australian DURING Australia’s previous resources boom, the Fraser government paraded regular estimates of an emerging wave of mining and energy projects. At one stage, planned investment reached a staggering $29 billion – about $200bn when scaled up to the Continue Reading →