Wake Up Australia

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael Mclaren

Dr David Knox, Mercer Senior Partner & Senior Actuary, joins Michael regarding the call by seniors organisations for the Morrison government to overhaul the pension system that would take into account possible changes to tax concessions, such as franking credits, as a way to pay for any reforms.

 

Dr Knox says the system of means testing made it difficult for many people to plan retirement… and there was scope to adopt a model used in Denmark where all retirees were paid a part pension that maintained some elements of means testing but also guaranteed income for all.

 

"The advantage is the universal part pension gives everybody a base to build on while the means-tested pension ensures that no-one lives in poverty."

 

"Another advantage is that the means testing will cease at a lower level of assets or income than currently, as it would only apply to half the pension."

 

"This means that many retired Australian households would not be subject to any means testing and there would be a much clearer incentive to make some extra savings for your retirement."

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren.

Michael is joined by Peter Jennings, Executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, who writes that ‘China has shown its true colours to the world, and it will suffer consequences. Australian citizens won’t allow a return to just shutting up and taking the money.’

‘Governments of all political stripes have gone to extraordinary lengths to look the other way whenever the Chinese Communist Party’s bad behaviour — in everything from human rights abuses to industrial-scale cyber-spying and intimidating Australian-Chinese citizens — risked damaging the economic pipeline’ Mr Jennings writes.

Clinton Maynard chats with Car Advices Trent Nikolic about the latest in the automotive industry.

Listen to the full show podcast with Clinton Maynard filling in for Michael Mclaren

Clinton chats with the CEO of the alcohol and drug foundation Erin Laylor about increased levels of drinking during the lockdown.

Listen to the full show podcast with Luke Grant filling in for Michael Mclaren

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to keep QLD border’s closed until perhaps September has drawn criticism from most other states.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said while not all the projects were ‘shovel-ready’, they could be activated quickly with the help of state and federal governments and local councils to boost the recovery.

Daniel joins Luke on the the topic.

Applications to use the Made In Australia logo are up 250% since February…

Ben Lazzaro is the CEO of Australian Made Campaign and joins Luke on Wake Up Australia.

he is calling on Australia's business community and all levels of government to adopt 'buy Australian first' procurement policies.