I got what I wanted for my 43rd Birthday (Takoyaki for lunch at Umi in Toronto) but what do I want from the 48th Parliament?

Labor is back with a bigger majority and only really needing to appease the Greens in the upper house to get anything done. But what will they use this for and will it be at all progressive? Or will they still pretend they can’t do things their supposed base want – such as all the local groups calling for sanctions on Israel, or community groups seeking investment in public housing or increased welfare payments – because I’m skeptical as always, and fell sad that I have to wait and see.

Takoyaki in a black moon shaped dish
Takoyaki, $10

But first – I turned 43 yesterday and all I wanted was to have Takoyaki and chill, and that I did!

Restaurant inside. Umi sign on wall, a fish lamp and Japanese script

Bruce and I dropped his car off for new tyres – finally spending the money I got from the selective schools supervision earlier this year – then we went to try Umi, the newer of the two Japanese restaurants in Toronto. It’s a bit less fancy that Mizumi which we’ve gone to for many birthdays since it’s been there, and it was very quiet being only 11am on a Tuesday, but there were a few people coming in for their Bento as we were heading out.

japanese lemonane and a coke
Ramune, $6

I normally get lemon iced tea with my Japanese food, but went the ramune today as a special treat. They were tempting me with grape soda though!

Miso soup in a black bowl
Miso soup, $4

We started with some miso soup, the takoyaki and some kara-age chicken. Bruce has been watching more Japanese and other Asian food tourism videos, such as from Dancing Bacons and making me want to travel and eat and eat and travel. But that’s not anywhere near in my future, so local it is!

Kara-age friend chicken with a side of saces
Kara-age chicken, $13

Obviously being my birthday we had to follow the tasty fried goodies with their Umi Supreme Variety of sashimi: Hamachi (Kingfish), Hotate (Scallop), Salmon, Tuna, Octopus (3 pcs each), and Salmon Roe. Love popping the little roe balls in my mouth lol. Tasty fresh fish!

Variety of sashimi: Hamachi (Kingfish), Hotate (Scallop), Salmon, Tuna, Octopus (3 pcs each), and Salmon Roe
Umi Supreme, $42

We left full and happy and in no mood for dessert, so picked up a tray of cake pieces from Coles to graze on later, and browsed some op shops til I got over it and just wanted to go home (via picking up the car with the fresh tyres and avoiding the traffic chaos that seemed to be everywhere yesterday!)

tray of cake slices - lemon tarts, brownies and berry and passionfruit cheesecake
Coles Cake Variety, $22

My parents got us a new coffee machine which was on special during the prime day sales and we’d had our eyes one. Slowly getting the hang on the manual pour and getting the accessories to help make the tasty morning brews.

new coffee machine
Delonghi Stilosa, $120 on sale

I’ve also been spoiled by my internet friends, with some items off my wishlists coming already and a few more to come! (and I few I’ve bought with birthday money from other amazing souls!)

lilac backpack and pridge and coffees
Backpack from Leigh and porridge sachets and mocha sachets from Jave from my Amazon list
Hello kitty mug stack
Hello Kitty Mug Stack from Sally off my Amazon wishlist.

So, back to reality after a food coma Tuesday afternoon – I didn’t miss much from the first sitting day of the parliament – lots of speeches and ceremonies and the like. A rally and vigil for Palestine outside parliament has been ongoing and well attended.

They’re introducing the “20% off HECS” bill today which will help a few but again it’s a drop in the ocean compared to recent indexation amounts and the rapid increase in house prices which is the real reason university graduates can’t afford to buy homes, rather than their HECS stopping them.

Historic welfare debts are back, with court backing to pursue them. Labor should have at least legislated the recommended 6 year limit on debt collection, like applies for ATO debts, but they chose not to. They have no excuse not to this term, with their majority overflowing to the opposition benches of the house, but really, they have no will to. Unfortunately there’s gonna be more ugly deaths they can be accounted for by neglect through state enforced poverty.

Meanwhile we get an economic round table with tech, business and mining representatives, but no one from health or disability, even though “Delivering quality care more efficiently” is one of their “productivity pillars“?

One of our local Labor MPs (and deputy speaker) was boasting about their 25% increase in food relief and “financial wellbeing” support – such as financial counselors and food and petrol vouchers and more money for food banks. This is not something to celebrate. You CANNOT budget your way out of poverty – when welfare is half the poverty line you just cannot find that extra money. More happy snaps and warehouses rented, which people just can’t afford to feed and house themselves and their families? Not a win Sharon.

Sharon Claydon MP odSnotspre2 t a m5 d : 12c674t4685c0l 1 a s 7lgf8 7 41 e a 5 Y c t t y e 0 r 968f 2 · Labor is boosting food relief and financial wellbeing support funding by 25 per cent. This funding will assist more than 300 organisations across the country, providing support for: 👉🏼 Food and petrol vouchers, clothes, bedding, or toiletries. 👉🏼 Australians manage their debt and make informed financial choices. 👉🏼 Food relief providers to increase the supply of affordable food. 👉🏼 Helping people reduce the financial harm of problem gambling. 👉🏼 People to improve their financial literacy.

One of my Antipoverty Centre comrades gave me a great birthday present – a few more FOI requests on food relief charities to go through when I can focus on them. Let’s see how they manage to leverage their gearing this year or whatever business words they use for being a middleman between actual humans and often unsuitable food. GO you guys!

 

The last V-Set ran to Newcastle last night

Vet train at Newcastle interchange station

I was born in 1982, a couple years before the line was electrified all the way to Newcastle, so I’ve been catching V-sets since 1984. To Sydney, for day trips with my parents, my Aunty and cousin. Back where there were smoking carriages and I remember trips so full I sat on my Aunty’s lap in the smoking carriage all the way from Fassifern to Central.

I used to be terrified of crossing between the carriages. Something you had to do to find a seat or visit the extremely cramped toilets. I had to overcome that fear when I started catching them to highschool in 1995. But then we’d hang out the carriage doors and windows of the old single decker electrics that you could see the fast moving sleepers through the holes in the floor.

A classmate jumped out of one of the diesels up Maitland way and was lucky to live. Ahh the fun of manual doors.

I’ve ridden the new ones a few times. Here’s some footage from the inside. I don’t like the fixed one-directional seats. I do like the charging ports. They should have given us wifi. Oh and I liked that they tell you which side to exit, but apparently they get it wrong sometimes so that’s kinda worse than not saying it at all!

Brunch at Vulture Street Espresso

cappuccino in a black cup and saucer with a spoon on a wooden table
Skim cappuccino, $4.50.

What a whirlwind! Just spend Thursday to Monday up in Magan-djin/Brisbane for the People Against Poverty summit that I helped organise! I’ll post a recap of the event sometime this week (including my presentation which I’ll hopefully get the audio of soon and plan to do an online version of when we all have spoons again), but I’m excited to do a food blogging post for the brekkie the interstate folk had before flying out on Monday at Vulture Street Espresso in the West End.

We were treating ourselves after a weekend, week, and MONTHS of hard work pulling this together, spending our conference allowances on a great feed before returning to the reality of our sub-poverty welfare payments, job seeking responsibilities and, appointments and caring roles. It was a good chance to finally relax a little and eat slowly!

The weather was a little damp all weekend, which threw some plans out, but VSE has a back section that feels open even though it’s nicely sheltered. Lots of plants and wood! I nabbed the large table for what ended up being 10 of us.

They serve breakfast all day, and I was filled in by one of the former Brisbane residents that former lord mayor and brief premier Campbell Newman was one of the reasons cafe’s opened so early every day in Brissie, with the huge spend on bike lanes when he was (a Lycra-clad-cycling-) mayor who needed to access morning lattes with the gang.

puree avocado and creamed feta and almonds on two slices of seeded sourdough on a round bluegreen plate
Iconic Aussie Smashed Avocado – $19.50.

Many of the meals came with a poached egg, but as I don’t eat that I got my “Iconic Aussie Smashed Avocado” without the egg. There was lemon through the avo, the feta was oddly creamed and squirted but it was tasty as 🙂

Vietnamese omelet with rice and lemon on a blue plate
Vietnamese Omelette – $18.90

The Vietnamese Omeleltte was intriguing and smelled delicious – filled with bean sprouts, pork mince, onion, cucumber, carrots, capsicum, spring onion, mint and coriander, the fish sauce was noticeable and served with shallots and rice.

bacon, egg, cheese and avocado, tomato relish milk bun
Aussie Bacon, egg, and avocado roll – $13.50.
a stack of fritters with egg and bacon and lettuce
West end vegetable fritters – $18.90. With a side of bacon – $8.
two bices of French toast with bacon, syrup and fruit on a white plate
Creme Brulé French Toast – $18.90.
scrambled eggs with sourdough toast, bacon and relish
Free range eggs on toast – $10.
eggs with holondaise sauce, bacon shallots and spinach
Bao Benedict – $21.
Brissie Hash Cakes – $21.

Vulture Street Espresso was recommended by a gluten free local who came along and most meals had vegetarian and gluten free options, and a great coffee and drinks selection. They also let us split the bill and individually pay as we each needed to leave, I bought some espresso beans to try at home, which were a good start to today!

1/85 Vulture St West End QLD 4101

(07) 3844 3208

Promises, Promises – Health Announceables vs Their Likely Reality this Election

(aka why GPs aren’t going to go back to bulk billing but it might save the few remaining bulk billing practices if you’re lucky to have one near you that caters for ongoing patients and more complex needs aka not an urgent care clinic which has a place but isn’t the answer we’re looking for)

Upcoming Changes to Bulk Billing Incentives in General PracticeStrengthening Medicare with more bulk billing from 1 Nov 2025. The Australian Government is investing $7.9 billion to expand eligibility for bulk billing incentives to all Australians and establish the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program to support general practices to bulk bill all patients
The Claim

So, this is the measure that Labor reckons will get bulk billing at GP’s back to 90% of consults. It was a key part of the campaign, along with more urgent care clinics – which are GP practices you can drop into for a one-off consult for something acute but not needing hospital – like back pain or a sprain or something. They say go there for a break but I’m not confident all centres have X-rays  so it’d be best to check your local one before deciding there over the Emergency room.

The first version of the increased bulk billing incentives came in for kids and concession card holders in November 2023. If your doctor took it on that’s awesome, but very few did in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. One local practice will do it for under 14s and over 65s, but not for concession card holders between those ages (or 15-17 year old kids). Most practices, including the one I go to has a discounted upfront fee for concession card holds – some have different levels for blue and green concession card holders and for kids. Upfront GP costs about $100 here with Medicare card only and $80ish for concession, with the $42 rebate for a standard level B consult.

The extra incentive, depending on location, gives an extra $20+ per consult to the practice, if they bulk bill the patient. There’s a loading of 12.5% too in the new version if they bulk bill all patients. They also need patients enrolled in MyMedicare, yeah yet another program rather than upping the medicare benefit paid across the board.

To participate in the Program, practices will need to: Bulk bill all eligible services Advertise their participation in the Program Be MyMedicare registered (note that practices that are not already MyMedicare registered and wish to participate in the Program will be exempt from MyMedicare accreditation requirements). To register in the Program, practices will need to: register to participate in MyMedicare register to participate in the Program via MyMedicare.

The patient des not get this if they’re privately billed. SO most of us are still going to be out of pocket $40-$60 a visit if we can afford to front up the cash. So, many are still stuck rationing their ongoing healthcare to if they can afford it, or if they can GET to a urgent care clinic (not at all easy by public transport) or waiting it out til it’s an emergency and being thankful in NSW that if you have a concession card you can get free ambulance.

Personally, I’m continuing to schedule my GP appointments for ongoing care and scripts around pension days so I know I’ll have the money upfront. But not everyone can work that, or be able to be down $40-60 after the appointment even with rebates being paid back that night – and not everyone even has a regular GP or one taking on patients in their area.

We’ve used the urgent care clinic for stuff, but it’s completely unsuitable for mental health care or anything ongoing physically.

The base rebate needs to be higher – enough to either incentivise bulk billing or to allow people to get the money together to go knowing they’ll get most of it back to then be able to afford their regular expenses or medications that are prescribed.

1800MEDICARE: Free urgent care on your phone and in your home 27 April 2025

Another announceable at the end of April was the “1800MEDICARE“..

Whether you need expert health advice or reassurance, the registered nurses at 1800MEDICARE will be there all day, every day, to provide advice and refer you to the health service you need – whether that’s your regular GP, the local hospital or a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

So, at the initial level, the 1800MEDICARE number and service is a rebranding of the Health Direct line, staffed by nurses 24/7 in conjunction with the states. I’ve used that service personally and at work, and have been transferred to them from 000 (don’t worry it wasn’t life threatening) for more thorough triage and consult.

24 hour health advice you can count on 1800 022 222 Government Accredited with over 140 information partnersHealthdirect logo We are a government-funded service, providing quality, approved health information and advice Australian Government, health department logo ACT Government logo New South Wales government, health department logo Northen Territory Government logo Queensland Government logo Government of South Australia, health department logo Tasmanian government logo Victorian government logo Government of Western Australia, health department logo

What 1800MEDICARE is adding to this is a GP service between 6pm and 8am, able to give you a prescription after hours when urgent care clinics aren’t open. For me, if I got a script from them it might be helpful and I could fill it at 8:30am weekdays locally when the chemist opened, or if some one was able to drive there’s chemists 15 minutes away open 9-4 Sat, 9-2 Sundays. They can order bloods I guess to then get done in business hours? But I’m not really sure how much more they can offer that the nurse line can’t. So it’s a helpful extra service, but not going to solve the problem people have of not being able to afford to have an ongoing GP.

If you need urgent GP care that can’t wait for your regular GP to be available, the triage nurses will connect you to a free telehealth session with a 1800MEDICARE GP via phone or video, available all weekend and weeknights between 6pm and 8am.

On your phone and in the comfort of your home, a 1800MEDICARE GP will provide the free care you need, like an emergency prescription for your regular medication, or treatment for an illness or injury.

I’m currently waiting for my GP to call, since I changed my appointment today to telehealth since I’ve been snotting up the place. After the call, reception will call me to get my card details for the $80 fee, of which I’ll get $42.85 back from Medicare this evening. Fortunately I have been into the clinic in the last 12 months so I AM eligible for the rebate.

So I’ll save the mental health promises and anything else I think of for next time.

Love yas!

So, Labor, are you going to use your power for the good of the vulnerable or for the good of your donors?

Ahh, well, that was a little disappointing. I remember last election, when Labor got in my mental health nurse saying “you must be happy with that result” and I was extremely cautious in my response, feeling like I was expected to be happy, but very much wanting to wait and see how it panned out for me and the causes I care about.

The night before this weekend’s election, Albo wheeled out his childhood and how that set him up for success, and boy were we cynical in response. I mean, Labor has not helped people like his mother at all. Public housing is barely a thing and dwindling slowly. Yes, there may be “social” housing builds but the rent is higher and the conditions less kind to tenants. DSP and other pensions have not gone up this term, despite Labor members claiming so. The only increase in them has been due to legislated inflation and much of that because inflation was so high when Labor came in.

The image displays information about rental affordability for a single person on the Disability Support Pension. On the left, there's a circular icon depicting a person in a wheelchair. Below the icon, the text reads 'Single person on the Disability Support Pension'. Further below, it states '0.1% of rental listings are affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension.' On the right side, there is a graphic of a dark blue house shape containing the text '100%' and a lighter blue house shape inside it containing the text '0%'.

The $20 a week that Jobseekers and Youth received is long gone and was less than the previous governments increase ($25/week) in real dollars.

Rent assistance for those 14% of welfare recipients who get it has gone up to a whole $100/week max with those two “real” increases this last three years. It still isn’t giving people access to private rentals in this country, with Anglicare’s latest snapshot showing someone like Albo’s mum (who   would have been unlikely to get DSP for arthritis these days but would have benefitted from Labor reinstating single parent payment for kids up to 14)  not being able to afford any private rentals in the greater Sydney area.

A table row with a light blue background. The first column contains the number '4'. The second column describes a family situation: 'Single, one child (aged less than 5)'. The third column lists various Australian government payments and supplements: 'Parenting Payment Single, Energy Supplement, Pension Supplement, Pharmaceutical Allowance, FTB A & FTB B'. The fourth column contains the number '0' in a grey background. The fifth column shows '0%'.

So, on Saturday night I had two reactions, one was disappointment and skepticism that Labor will do anything progressive with their second term and continue as they have the last three years – fiddling around the edges, saying they can’t be too bold, working with the LNP to pass watered down legislation like the NACC through the senate. The other part of me wants to be hopeful that the “just give them time” people actually were right and they will actually be bold this term because they have no opposition to fear losing to. (I really don’t believe this but I WANT to be proven wrong about this for so many reasons)

Our work here has barely begun. We saw the glimmers of hope that there was becoming enough glaring evidence before the election that the suspensions to payments and compulsory activities for JobSeekers and younger disability pension recipients were illegal as well as useless and expensive to administer for few positive and many negative impacts.

It’s time for the Labor government to take seriously its duty of care for poor people and show compassion for us: Urgently increase payments to the Henderson poverty line as a triage measure, and work with welfare recipients to develop a sophisticated measure of poverty. Deliver on the 2022 promise to abolish compulsory cashless welfare programs such as the BasicsCard and rebranded Cashless Debit Card, now known as the SmartCard. Immediately pause all Centrelink payment suspensions imposed on people with “mutual” obligations requirements and remove all compulsion from (un)employment services. Directly invest in buying and building high quality public homes at scale, and abandon the turbocharging of privatisation through “social and affordable” housing policies.

One in 5 adult suicides are on the JobSeeker payment. Fourteen per cent are on the Disability Support Pension.

Something needs to give – payments needs to be raised above the poverty line. The country can “afford” it, it won’t impact your precious inflation in any significant way, and the benefits to the health and happiness of people should be enough to sway even the most miserly. It’s the right thing to do.

There ARE easy fixes, and the government has the evidence it needs to implement them. It just needs to want to do it and stop sacrificing the poor.

6 weeks until the People Against Poverty Summit. Trying to get my rest on so I can get back into helping with preparations and be able to travel u there for in and a few other things we may plan for the week before or after. I worked Friday and Saturday supervising exams which rekt me and gave me a cold, and I’m trying to remind myself I made the right call to decline working the Sunday at the last minute even though the money would have been great it would have knocked me out for the week for sure. Pacing pacing, both physically and socially – it takes a lot out of me.

There was a pre-conference online session last week on running a street kitchen – given the despair some a feeling it’s worth a watch if you want some ideas for help to help people practically in your immediate community.

If you’re in a position to help us with the costs of getting people in poverty to the conference, consider donating here. Or if you’re able to host someone from out of town or want help to attend, check the linktree.