Hello CannotTahan.
You know me and I know you.
Let me make it clear. I pay taxes in Australia, albeit higher . I
don't intend to use the social security there when I can work. And
when I retire, I don't expect to see myself using the pension
system. I just want my healthcare card with plenty of discounts for
old retirees when I hit that stage.
Alot of retirees still work in Australia and the Australian govt is
encouraging them without tellling them that THEY HAVE TO DO IT and
to accept any shit jobs. More money for them - they don't feed into
the pension system and the government allows them to withdraw a
part of their superannuation without tax while their employer still
have to put in superannuation for them.
Pay taxes for my retirement? Nah. I got superannuation in Australia
- I direct my reserves into super and then wait for the govt to
input 1.5 dollars on top every voluntary dollar I put in. I don't
need pension but I would like to have a fallback - it gives me a
sense of security if something unforseen happens ,
at least I know the country which I paid taxes to will look after
me.
As for public schooling, of course Australian education system is
no competition for Singapore. I like Singapore schooling system -
when I studied in Singapore, you learn that if your daddy has
plenty of money and connections, you can get the best in life.
Except I wasn't
the kid with that dad. So it taught me about a
thing or two. I thank my parents for making me work since I was 15
years old for my own pocket money. At least I know as a teenager
,the value of education and money as well as treating others with
respect, after watching how seemingly educated people treat the
uneducated packers in a Singaporean departmental store. And I
learnt the most important thing - it is about which class system
you are in ( we are talking money class) . All thanks to
Singaporean schooling and confirmation in the real working world
when I was a teenager working and studying.
There are plenty of opportunities in Australia for my future kids
with good parenting and encouragement. If public schooling was so
awful in Australia, how come Australia can produce Nobel Science
Prize winners while Singapore has not produced any yet? So don't
condemn another system.
Free health service - one size fits all. I can still sue doctors in
a free health service if they are negligent in undertaking due care
in looking after me. Having a user pay system is not exactly a good
idea, ever seen a C class ward in Singapore before?
No thanks I rather have free health service which provides for me
in a ward that looks like a B1 class in Australia, and still have a
menu I can select. Yes I will wait for my doctor to see me very
patiently and I have no doubt that if I am in a critical condition,
the consultant will be called down ( that happened before in
Australia- they called out the consultant in the middle of the
night because I was going into respiratory arrest ).
I can talk because I worked in the health care institutions of both
Singapore and Australia. And as for Singaporean nursing ratios
...it's a joke compared to the Victorian 1 nurse to 4 patients
ratio. So tell me - what were you talking about quality
again?
Don't be mistaken. I still hold my Singaporean health
professional colleagues in very high regard and I think they give
the best they can. Alot of them do damn well when they come to
Australia. However with their workload and the managerial system in
Singapore , how can they give the best quality out to Singaporeans
in the health system?
Singapore is small. Easy to get one polyclinic out in the densely
populated country. Australia is vast and it is hard to reach
everyone. No doubt there needs to be improvement but you cannot
compare a giant jackfruit to a small nectarine.
Of course, if I was a Singaporean with plenty of old money
(millions and millions of dollars) and daddy's connections to back
me up, I will make my base Singapore because it is a wise thing to
do. That's just good business.
