Letters: Your Say

Motoring accident

Editor

In Pete's Nuts & Bolts (PS News Motoring, week commencing 11 November 2008) Peter Brewer states that '23-year-old British hotshot Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton capturing the world title in his first year'.
   This is in fact incorrect.
   Lewis Hamilton's first season in Formula One was 2007 where he achieved 2nd in the World Drivers' Championship, being beaten by Kimi Raikkonen.
   I just thought I'd point that out.

Donald
Centrelink
Canberra

Peter Brewer responds: “Bugger. He’s right!”

Keynesian point!

Editor

Wasn't the main point of Keynesian economic policy (PS News Talking Point, 13 October 2008) for the Government to fund large scale infrastructure projects which built the country's productive capacity, stimulating demand and providing secure employment and a decent wage to many of those who had lost their jobs as a result of the stockmarket crash?
Cheap overseas labour cannot rebuild a nation's infrastructure.

Leonie
DEEWR

Teaching failures

Editor,

There is an oft-quoted maxim in manufacturing and the trades - 'If you've never made a mistake, you've never made anything ' (PS News Talking Point w/comm 15th September).
And I have heard it said that in education we should be teaching everyone how to fail (or how to cope with failure), because in reality, that's what we will spend most of our lives doing.

Bill Rees
Victoria

Parking moves

Editor,

I've been following your newsletter with interest but surprised it has never covered the issue causing me and I'm sure many others most difficulty at the moment which is parking in Canberra.
   This is particularly an issue for female employees - I have two morning drop offs, so no chance of getting a bus, and even less of getting a park once I get into the city - pay parking is full.
   If we do get a short term car park, I and a lot of others, are wasting valuable time and taxpayers’ money by playing musical car parks at half hour, hour and two hourly intervals.
   There must be a solution other than moving to another capital.

Alexandra Borthwick
Canberra

Not just for parents

Editor,

I'd like to see a world that goes a step even further than that (PS News Talking Point w/comm 8th September) - a world that acknowledges that even people who DON'T have children are human beings entitled to reduced work hours.

Elske Shaw
Queensland

Ombudsman support

Editor,

I agree with the suggestion of an Ombudsman for the PS (PS News 136, 2 September 2008).
It is long overdue.

Beth Mason
Canberra

Not happy with happiness

Editor

Get Hindmoor (PS News Talking Point w/comm 11 August) to read Martin Seligman or some other psychologist studying happiness before he makes uninformed comments on its nature and causes.
Very poorly researched article particularly irritating to those who have been interested in happiness, its definition, causes and benefits for individuals and society in general....don’t get me started or I’ll write the next article.

Jennifer Berensen
Victoria

70 but not super!

Editor

In recent years, the Australian Government has actively encouraged mature aged Australians to remain at work after the notional retiring age of 65.
   Most if not all Government Agencies have a mature age employee policy in place that encourages APS officers to continue working for as long as possible.
   But I wonder how many who do take up the challenge realise the detriment they will suffer on reaching age 70.
   That magical date signals the end of the productivity element of employer superannuation contributions meaning a loss of about 3% of annual salary in contributions to CSS, PSS or PSS accumulating scheme.
   But the bad news doesn't end there.
   If on reaching age 70, an officer is still a member of PSS, then another hit is coming.
   After that birthday, the PSS rules say that employee contributions are no longer mandatory and, moreover, any employee contributions made after that date will no longer add to end benefits upon retirement.
   In effect, PSS benefits are frozen at age 70 even if an officer continues in full time employment.
   Sounds very much like age discrimination to me.
   If you happen to be on an AWA you could of course seek to negotiate an adjustment in salary to compensate for the lost superannuation benefits - but no!! Current government policy does not permit agencies to renegotiate any AWA terms.
   It would be a service to mature age APS officers if PS news could alert those officers nearing or past their 70th birthday to the unfair and unreasonable consequences of their age particularly as none of the relevant information is readily available on the ARIA website, in PSS brochures, or in AWAs.
   To find it you have to make a complaint to ARIA to then receive chapter and verse of some remote fund rules that are apparently non-negotiable.
   One could of course lodge a complaint with the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal or the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission but that could be a useless exercise because government legislation gives superannuation funds the right to discriminate between members on the basis of age.

Michael Cass
Canberra

Unhappy returns for Super

Editor

I read with interest the article about the Canadian union seeking a seat on the superannuation board (PS News last week).
   As this is the first year when the previous zero guaranteed return was being removed from the CSS and PSS, it may be interesting to follow the reaction of members to the trend of the first negative return passed onto members.
   The last negative return for those funds was in 1998 (from memory) but the guaranteed zero return meant that the loss was not passed onto members, but was rather absorbed by the fund.
   As the CPSU has representatives on the Board it would be interesting to see whether the Board as a whole is willing to accept responsibility for the probable sizeable negative return.
   The union’s failure to properly defend the concept of defined benefit super schemes in the public sector has been a significant loss to new employees.
Yes I am a member of the CPSU.

Rohan Goyne
Canberra

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