1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: It's obvious to anyone paying attention that in the coming decades, 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: and even if you're not paying attention, it's just logical 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: in the coming decades we're not going to have enough 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: young people working to support the cost of health and 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: super for the elderly. All this is spelled out in 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: a Treasury report which Thomas Coglan published in The Herald today. 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: This is not new, We've known this for a long time. 8 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: Future governments will either have to take a sledge hammer 9 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: to spending on health or raise the age of super. 10 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: And the obvious answer, I think is to raise the 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: age of super. Don't worry, not immediately, not tomorrow, but 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: raise the age of super not going to happen, of course, 13 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: of all Winston's around. But the other thing we could 14 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: cut is our expectations boys born. This is stats in 15 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: the ZA data. Boys born in the early nineteen sixties 16 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: who were reaching sixty five now ish could expect to 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: live to around seventy nine years on average, and girls 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: eighty three. Boys worn in the early twenty twenties, so 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: you're freshies could expect to live to eighty eight years 20 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:12,119 Speaker 1: on average, girls ninety one years on average. So we've 21 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: added about ten years to our lives. This is very 22 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: expensive and it's only going to get better or worse, 23 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: depending on how you look at this problem. Now. I 24 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: was speaking to a woman in her seventies this week. 25 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: Now I won't name who firmly believes that when you 26 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: reach the age of eighty, you must choose the pension 27 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: or healthcare. We can't afford both. How can we afford 28 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: to fill our hospitals, keeping you know, eighty plus year 29 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: olds alive and keeping paying their pensions and not send 30 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: the country bankrupt? Is her point. And she's older closer 31 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: to eighty than I am, much closer. I know it 32 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: sounds jarring. I know it sounds cruel, But isn't it 33 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: fair to ask how we plan to fund the very 34 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: expensive long lives that we are now planning to live, which, 35 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: by the way, was not the intention when the pension 36 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: was set up when it was universal. The age has 37 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: blown out massively, hasn't it, So I think it's fair 38 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: to ask the question, at least, how do we confront 39 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: that problem? For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, 40 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: listen live to News Talk Set B from five am weekdays, 41 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.