Prison Action & Reform challenge the Attorney General

TAS: Prison Action & Reform challenge the Attorney General Judy Jackson to a public debate

Members of Prison Action & Reform are furious with the latest lies from the Attorney General -- Judy Jackson, and demand that she produce evidence to support her ludicrous claims.

Last week Hansard revealed Judy Jackson reiterating the claims that Prison Action & Reform had access to the prison at any given time.

Prison Action & Reform have never had any access to inside the prison to see clients. PAR members have been permitted inside the prison on two occasions..

In 2002 an official visit was organized by the Secretary of the department and PAR members viewed changes to Division 7. No clients were seen at this time.

In January 2000 PAR member Vickie Douglas was permitted to view the cell where her son was found dead. She placed a flower at the site.

"We have only ever been allowed to see prisoners in box visits and this we do as private citizens," President of Prison Action & Reform, Caroline Dean said.

"Last Monday I went to the prison to see two people as a private citizen and strangely enough I was denied entry as a private citizen and this directive came from the Director of Prisons".

"Several months ago we sought permission from Director of Prisons to enter the prison as volunteers. This would allow us to visit prisoners at the request of families, or visit prisoner clients. However, a letter from the Director of Prisons stated a formal application process is required for this to happen and Prison Action & Reform have yet to start this process."

"No members of Prison Action & Reform have prison passes that allow 'special access' and contrary to the Attorney General's comments we have never been able to come and go as we wish".

"The only person who has had an ongoing pass has been me in my professional role as tutor to a tertiary student. My role as tutor is completely independent of my role in Prison Action & Reform. I have been a tutor for the last three years to students who are incarcerated.

How is it that the Attorney is mixing up these roles and for what purpose? I can only think this is an opportunistic ploy to discredit Prison Action & Reform by confusing the facts. Obviously while the Attorney uses this ploy the focus is shifted from the daily human rights abuses that occur in the Tasmanian prison system. I wonder if the public is fooled by her tactics-I don't think so," Caroline Dean said.

"Ultimately the only people to be affected by this are the prisoners. My prisoner student is without a tutor and the necessary support that is vital for him to carry out his studies. And prisoners are daily being subjected to daily human rights abuses. While the Attorney uses sensational and desperate tactics to shift the focus away from the appalling system she effectively condones the human rights abuses," Caroline Dean said.

Prison Action & Reform issues an invitation to the Attorney General to publicly debate the state of the Tasmanian prison system with Prison Action and Reform.

By Prison Action & Reform Posted 23 May 05

Contact:
Caroline Dean - 0403 473 938
Vickie Douglas - 0403 401 414

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Social Services small change? Or wast the money on WAR!

Lone parents on [social services] average 12 years of benefits - and are often worse off if they work. But reforming the system is risky and often costly, Bettina Arndt explains.

SMH 12 Dec 02. [? Ruling class articles inc] Yet the Opposition parties show consistent reluctance to extend participation requirements to this group. "I don't want to be part of an agenda which says [lone parents'] choices to care for kids are any less worthy than anyone else's choices," says Labor's family and community affairs spokesman, Wayne Swan.

But it's not their choice alone to make, says Peter Saunders, director of social policy research at the Centre for Independent Studies. [Who uses the keyword welfare instead of the keyword SOCIAL SERVICES. He does that because welfare sounds more like bludger.] He compares the situation with a couple which decides one parent will stay home until their youngest leaves school. "In effect, the lone parent is saying, 'I'm exercising my choice and you've got to pay for it,' while the couple is free to make that choice with no implications for the rest of us. It's their affair because they are not making demands on other people."

Apart from the battle over participation requirements, the constant refrain of the [social services] organisations is: where are the jobs? Moves towards further [social services] reform rightly raise questions as to whether the Government is putting sufficient effort into job creation.

"If we are looking at the barriers to people finding work, one key issue is there simply aren't enough jobs around. There are eight to 10 people for every job vacancy," says Dr Stephen Ziguras, from the Brotherhood of St Lawrence.

Yet most jobs are never advertised - hence these figures are extremely questionable, says Saunders [?]

[Actually I think that Saunders is an extreme government head-kicker and even more questionable]

Saunders: "It's like auctions for houses. Ten people might be bidding but only one gets to buy the house. But that doesn't mean it's not worth them trying at the next auction." Saunders points to Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing that last year 13 per cent of the labour force were unemployed at some time in any year, but only 1.4 per cent unemployed for the whole year. But there are also recipients likely to gain by proposed changes. At present the system offers little financial incentive for families and individuals on [social services] to take up part-time work.

But given that most new jobs are part-time, the suggestion is to find ways of ensuring part-time work pays, perhaps by covering work-related costs such as transport or child care or through "in-work" benefits for people who work a minimum number of hours each weeks or who achieve minimum earnings.

In the long term, the jobs problem should disappear, with demographic changes demanding more workers to support an ageing population. And that's when [social services] reform will acquire real urgency, with governments being forced to find ways of increasing workforce participation of [social services] recipients, particularly mothers and older men.

Despite the resistance, [social services] reform is destined to remain on the agenda.possible alternative approaches stemming from recommendations of the McClure report, which argued for rationalisation of the complex payment structure and easing of poverty traps. This document is primarily a sales job - making a strong case that reform is essential, given that the 9 million people of working age in employment are supporting almost 3 million receiving welfare.

[Yep, then John HoWARd can spend more taxpayers dollars on his war agenda instead of SOCIAL SERVICES!! That makes head-kicker Peter Saunders a super loser.]

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SKIPPY: What they failed to tell you was that if in fact there are 'no jobs for all', then there is the matter of worthwhile jobs, if any at all, regardless if people are on social services or not, they still pay tax on everything.

Most people including the unemployed and disabled smoke, drink, eat, gamble, and buy goods. All the taxes are given back to the government that affords a safety net for people who are below the means test and who at that time in need of support.

If the government who reap tax and lucrative royalties from mining etc... take into account the marginalised, then look into why these people are marginalised, they may find out it is because of the governments own policy like ex-prisoners don't get employed.

These people do some volunteer work as well, saving the country millions. No-one complained during the Olympic games in Sydney and no-one put their hand out for the royalties the government mined out of the country.

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Robin Egan
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Tough luck! Kicks the poor to death

Australia is urged to adopt a United States-style welfare system, [?] cut welfare spending [social services spending] and encourage people to help themselves in a book on poverty published today.

The book, by Peter Saunders and Kayoko Tsumori, of the Centre for Independent Studies, says only 5 per cent of Australians are poor, not 13 per cent as claimed recently by the National Centre for Economic Modeling.Consequently, they say, poverty in Australia is a small problem that can be targeted and solved - and the solution lies in policies that encourage self-help and personal responsibility.

"The self-help strategy ... seeks to solve the problems of the poor without confiscating other people's money in the process," the book says. It urges Australia to cut taxes and welfare benefits, and adopt the US philosophy that poor people are "the authors of their own fate".

[So then do they advocate that corporate welfare should be cut? And what about other people's money? Where did they get it? Off other people? Maybe off the poor people too? You idiot! What happened to good will? What happened to Interdependence? What about the sick, disabled and mentally ill people? What about people who can't find a job? Do they spend their time stealing off the rich now? What about going to jail for that? If that be the case then what about 60,000 taxpayers dollars a year to keep desperate people in prison for stealing? ]

Under US welfare reform, sole parents are cut off benefits after two consecutive years and are entitled to income support for a maximum of five years over their lifetime. (Limited benefits are available for unemployed people.) The numbers on welfare fell by 58 per cent between 1996 and 2000.

But the head of the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW - also named Peter Saunders - said the US reforms were implemented during full-employment years. The test would be evident in the downturn.

"US welfare reform has been successful in moving people from low-income benefits into low-income work," he said. "If we go the American way with welfare we'll have to go the American way with wages and cut at the bottom end."

A spokesperson for Justice Action Mr Tom Cruiser said, "Most welfare recipients are volunteers or help out in other ways like raising taxpayers. Lots of them are disabled, marginalised, poor, disadvantaged or excluded from mainstream work. Some are judged by their age and criminal history forever."

Social Policy Research Centre: "Social policies would have to change to include everyone and then welfare would still be required for the weak, sick and unfortunate people in the community. Government responsibility comes before personal responsibility because the government sets the rules and take the taxes."

Mr Tom Cruiser: "God helps those who help themselves but those people do not have complete control of the environment. The book states that " Only 5 per cent are poor". That's flawed, and definitely depends on what you call poor? Does that statement encourage people to help themselves? "

"Cutting welfare spending does encourage people to help themselves get into jail when they don't make it. Welfare funds don't come from confiscating other people's money. "

"Everything we have ever known is taxed and people on the dole pay it. So by the time they eat, drink, gamble, buy clothes, and raise their family the government has the money back while these people are getting on their feet."

"I didn't mention what the government mined out of the country in royalties and kept for the government to help the community survive did I?"

By Noplace Tolive 27 November 2002

ED: Did they mean you're rich if you got a loaf of bread?

Bills, Bills and more Bills NSW Parliament deep in debt

NSW Parliament is unjustifiable creating intellectual debt, Academics, politicians, judges, lawyers and volunteers.

All because of the Bills they, NSW Elected Parliament draft. Instead of creating laws that work. Laws with morals, principals values and ethics a politician will reach out for the dead wood.

Instead of saying my name is Bob Carr - and I would like to be strip searched before I go to watch a movie tonight - and can you please do it in front of a crowd so I can be embarrassed.

Bob says you're not equal to me and those laws do not affect me - so bring them in for the sake of my political career.

The same as poring water down the drain?

Well if you put together all the academic skills. Come up with a Bill, one Bill of Rights and all the rest of the Bills necessary to change the law - in line with the principals, (The Bill of Rights sets out) then we have turned the tap off. We are not wasting water!

Academic skills being focused on real issues and not political grand standing to help politicians get elected or help politicians to seize more power or prestige.

Most people are likely to be corrupted because of power or prestige.

Why make radical Bills when you can get advice. Why close you ears to that advice when the feedback is negative.

Think of the ideas that Academic skills could create if people were pleased to work on something constructive instead of using their skills defensively because of an encroachment over (the line drawn in the sand) of their freedoms.

Civil and democratic rights will be upheld or they will win in the end so why bugger them up now. Why draconian laws? Why the debate? Why go to the High Court to solve it when common sense could see it. And common law seen it before. Why wast resources re inventing the wheel.

We cannot afford police not being aware of lawbreakers so don't take them off the job by diverting them for political gain.

Laws that will be respected and upheld. Laws that encourage respect and do not divide the community. More ideas about saving water and more ideas about saving intellectual energy.

By Gregory Kable Nov 22 2002

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