Social ServicesFascist Prime Minister insists he is not on a mission to punish welfare recipients [social-services.]
Federal ministers will begin a two-day Cabinet meeting in Canberra this morning to look at proposals to shake up the industrial relations and welfare systems, but not CORPORATE WELFARE SYSTEMS?
The Government will use the meeting to discuss its priorities for when it takes control of the Senate in July.
Top of the agenda for what the Government describes as its "strategic" Cabinet meeting are the restructuring of industrial relations and welfare, but not CORPORATE WELFARE?
The key welfare changes have already been rejected by the Senate but after July the Coalition will control both houses of Parliament, and the meeting will look at cracking down on those receiving disability and sole parent pensions.
Govt supports withholding information from disabled
A leaked memo from Centrelink tells staff 'not to volunteer information to single parents and disability support pensioners that they do not have to go to an employment agency'.
Welfare [Social Services]
On the welfare front, the Government wants to move people off [social security] and into work.
Prime Minister John Howard will outline a blueprint to clamp down on eligibility for the disability support pension, and to force single parents to look for work when their children go to school.
Mr Howard insists he is not on a mission to punish welfare recipients.
"It's visionary and forward looking and recognising that unless we do something about it now, we're going to have problems down the track," he said.
But below, it appears, is HoWARd's real mission and I hope his contradictions can be seen by all because what you see is what you get.
Allegedly 8 billion dollars a year is spent on social welfare?
But all those on the benefit pay GST. So that money is returned to the government's coffers.
Just add that to the melting pot!
What do people on welfare spend their money on?
Food, clothing, household goods, petrol, cigarettes, gambling, alcohol and all that tax goes back to the government's coffers.
Just add that to the melting pot!
Resources that are mined out of the county should be the benefit of all Australians and should provide public housing and social welfare for the needy, disabled and poor, before corporate greed and military hardware expenditure by the government.
Just add that to the melting pot!
Volunteer work done by some of those on welfare adds up and taking that away from the community means a loss in workers for welfare organisations who support the community, which is vital.
Just add that to the melting pot!
Howard says there is a shortage of workers?
50 thousand people a year in Australia go to jail and are returned back to the community disabled by the Government who won't let them work for the government. A criminal record means you won't get a government job for the rest of your natural life?
Just add that to the melting pot, in the grand scheme of things!!
So in the grand scheme of things it is a lie and a scandal by the Fascist HoWARd government to purport that the cost of social welfare is 8 Billion dollars a year to the Australian Taxpayer.
So perhaps it's time to look into 'CORPORATE WELFARE'?
What do you say Mr HoWARd.....?
In Other Developments:
Corporate welfare or how to steal social services?
Ever wondered why there are so many homeless, why we need a 10 pc GST, lack of services for mental disability, still paying off the Olympics, poor public transport planning etc etc etc?
Take a look at this big business policy cartel
18. Australia's most outrageous corporate and business grants A subscriber writes:
Further to your item on Friday in response to Andrew Bolt's ravings about the 'wasteful' Australian Research Council Grants, would you consider starting a (famous Crikey) list of the most outrageous corporate and business grants and subsidies?
Beginning with the $40 million News Corp grant you mention, you could also include:
1) Your May 18, 2004 sealed-section, which reported: 'The wool industry is forecast to get $58 million from the taxpayer next year, the grain industry $131 million and the dairy industry $271 million. General rural assistance will soar from $513 million in 2003-04 to a record $675 million in 2004-05 although this falls away in the out years as the sugar bailout winds back.'
2) The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) spent $309 million of taxpayers money in 2003-4 (and will spend a similar amount this year) on grants to subsidise the expenses of a tiny 4% of Australian businesses:
Austrade's Websites
3) Wineries get $100 million a year from the federal government:
NZ Minister says Australian wine rebate breaches economic agreement
4) Corporations which do oil exploration get a 150 pc tax concession from the feds:
Budget cash to shore up oil reserves
And I'm sure other subscribers could suggest hundreds more...
CRIKEY: Great idea. Send you suggestions to boss@crikey.com.au.
By Stephanie Kennedy and Just Us posted 22 February 05
Related:
Govt preparing to cut spending: Labor
The Federal Opposition says the Government is preparing to cut Budget programs in areas such as health and education despite projections of strong revenue growth.
Military Spending
Howard: We as a nation have got to invest heavily in defence?
Fascist Prime Minister John HoWARd has indicated the Government will make major changes to work place laws, cut disability support forcing the disabled to work and increase his defence commitment.
Hill primed for war!
Australian Caretaker Defence Minister Robert Hill has announced a multi-million dollar upgrade of the Pearce Air Force base in Western Australia. Hill says $87 million would be spent on a major upgrade of the base, which is Australia's main flying training facility.
Troop deployment not a deepening of effort: Hill
Deploying an extra 30 troops to Iraq was not a deepening of Australia's involvement because they were being sent to protect those already there, Defence Minister Robert Hill said yesterday.
Auditor Generals damning defence report
The Defence Department computer system upgrade has cost Australia tens of millions of dollars in a gigantic bungle, according to the Federal Opposition. The Commonwealth auditor-general has issued a damning report into the project.
Disability
HoWARd 'determined' to make the disabled woRK?
The Federal Government is considering a system of "coercion" and incentive to force the disabled to work. But what happened to 6 billion-budget surpluses? Why do they need to force disabled people to work? Do they need more money and less disabled people? Or do would they rather spend the money on WAR?
Opposition pension claims valid
The Federal Governments secret agenda to cut pensions, including the disability and single parent payments while spending billions on military hardware is just too much for most disabled people to accept.
Thousands march for disability protest
"We are not prepared to go back to the dark ages. This has to be reversed," Mr Preston said. "We are hoping that the community sees that we shouldn't be taking money from people with disabilities. These people have had it tough all their lives (and) there is already more unmet need than we can cope with."
Unemployed:
Work for the dole is legal slavery
Work for the dole was originally sold to us by Howard as a warm and fuzzy light work project. We would be working for nothing but we would be enjoying giving back something to the community, so it was reckoned.
FIGHT UNEMPLOYMENT!
Peter Costello commended this result in his budget speech. Even if we were to believe this figure it still means more than half a million living at a level much lower than that is recognised as poverty.
Mark Latham's, token gestures for older unemployed
StandUp appreciates the fact that Mark Latham is concerned about older unemployed people. His specialist job network proposal aimed at older people might provide a bit of assistance.
Work for the dole failure for two thirds
THE Un-Australian: " MORE than a third of the people who completed the Howard Government's work-for-the-dole programs last year were in jobs or studying within three months of finishing.
Work for the dole? $10.00?
StandUp! Wishes to draw your attention to a serious attack on all of us--work for the dole. We were assured that unemployed would not be forced to work in areas where employed workers would normally be employed. This has shown to be a lie! Under work for the dole, unemployed have been forced to carry out; concreting, tiling, landscaping, repairs, renovation, painting, gardening, nurses and teachers aid work.
'WORK FOR THE DOLE' REDUCES JOB PROSPECTS
A major independent study commissioned by the Government and released today under Freedom of Information by The Australian newspaper indicates that the 'Work for the Dole' program actually reduces the job prospects of unemployed people.
Youth welfare system unfair: ACOSS
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) is warning urgent action is needed to fix youth poverty and disincentives for the unemployed to improve their job prospects.
Bringing up children Can we afford it?
Peter Costello expects us to carry out our patriotic duty by going home and having more children. But for most people it is a struggle to bring up one child let alone two or three.
Federal Budget: Tax cuts for the rich!
For the Howard government, unemployed people are not even worth thinking about.
Private job network agency blues
Can you trust a private job network agency? No you can't! A friend of ours is registered at MTC Marrickville.
Indigenous Social Justice Association Djadi Dugarang
INDIGENOUS EMPLOYMENT. Part 1
Centrelink puts the screws on prison debt
A 1999 study by the Brisbane Prisoners Legal Service revealed that on leaving prisoners had an average debt of $14,031. Almost one in five had a debt to Centrelink while in prison. This debt arose as a result inability to cancel things such as leases, Social Security payments, utilities and telephones.
Democrats approve tougher welfare penalties: But how does that pan out?
There used to be an old saying in Australia" if your hungry steal a sheep and leave the pelt on the fence.
Six weeks, six months, six years: inmates have little chance of making fresh start Even prisoners who serve short sentences are likely to suffer long-term consequences, including increased rates of homelessness and unemployment.
