Yep Mike I don't have any or never had any experience saving.... lol!
"the family home is quarantined from assessment when it comes to welfare"
As it should be.
"I dont get "market rates" (whatever the hell that means - god how stupid) for my savings at all"
Yes you do - you get what someone else is willing to pay for your money!
"right now, my after tax, after inflation return is a big fat zero and it may go lower."
Tough - put your money to work elsewhere then!
"Its no wonder im considering leaving this country and going to a place where my money goes a lot further, a place where i can retire now and deprive australia of that cash"
Well stop whinging and go if there is paradise elsewhere! Funny thing is you will always find the grass is greener on the other side of the fence!
"the laws of supply and demand dont apply to interest rates like it does with everything else, its manipulated by government to the detriment of savers"
Well that is how it is played and as I said if you don't like it put your money elsewhere - you have the freedom to do that!
"if saving money in the bank was so great, why is this countries so called "wealth" just a big pile of debt?"
Where did I ever say saving is so great - putting your money in a bank as savings on basic interest is nothing more than a stop gap and the reality is NO ONE is going to really increase their wealth off of it.
All wealth is an illusion but at least with hard assets while the value may change the asset still exists.
