I just can’t, Jim. I can’t with your surplus.

You are the federal treasurer you can pull the lever at any time to reduce homelessness and poverty. however it means you won't be able to do a press conference boasting about a budget surplus. What do you do?

You’re repeating yourself, grinning over the same shit, so I’m going to repeat myself. I hate the surplus. I hate it when it’s 9 billion or nineteen. I hate it because it leaves my friends suffering with welfare payments below the poverty line. It leaves public school massively underfunded. It leaves public housing being sold off rather than being bought or built. It leaves you and your colleagues grinning at foodbanks, grinning because you’ve funded more charity, grinning while dental isn’t funded for adults. You’re grinning while women are rejected for domestic violence payments, when you could raise welfare above the poverty line and remove partner income tests. You’re grinning a year after the Disability Royal Commission handed down it’s findings while you’re holding your cards close to the chest on what will be allowed in NDIS packages after Wednesday. Grinning about Urgent Care Clinics while GP’s continue to walk away from bulk billing.

Grinning. Grinning. Grinning.

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Nedzbollah

Finding the balance of stubborn and holding my ground that actually serves me

At my last work place, I got quite angry when a senior worker said she’d been leaving a piece of rubbish behind a door to see how long it took for other staff to clean behind that door. I’m all “just tell them they need to pay more attention to that when they mop”. but no, they persisted with things like that.

I’m very much tell me what to do, tell me what I’m missing, it might not be obvious to me. Or, like some things, I might not actually notice that certain thing, at night, when my vision is at its worst.

So, why do I find myself getting stubborn when it comes to my stepkids and them not cleaning things? When Bee was with us they said they weren’t bringing out their rubbish all the time and that it would help to have a bin in their room. So I got a bin, and then they just filled it and left rubbish around it. Because there was the baby involved I really couldn’t leave it, and cracked it a few times and just cleaned everything when they were out of the house. But that was more extenuating circumstances, with child protection hovering around the edges.

How many times do I ask my stepson to bring out his dishes, to clean up after himself, before it’s reasonable to be irritated? Still in post-inspection mode, how did it take a day for there not be enough dishes in the kitchen for me to serve and make dinner how I like? I felt a little bitchy, but since I didn’t have to dishes to plate up for three, I didn’t and only served up for two and he could find his own dinner when he got home from work. That of course then leads to him using more dishes and me having to clean stuff ahead of the next meal I make. It’s not personal on him, it’s how it works with any person you share a space with, I remember in my first share house cracking it at someone who never cleaned up the cutting board.

We all have out own ways, and my ways surely irritate others. But right now I just have to strike the right balance of doing what needs to be done fore cleanliness and my sanity and not letting others walk over me whether that’s their intention or not.

A bit worse for wear. Woke up feeling all refluxy, got up and started gagging and made it to the bathroom for a spew. Ugh. So another day of pottering. I might find some basil for my Sim. I’ve been told it’s in a certain map, so I’ll head there and pick some for her to take to work to make the hot stuff potion. It’s good for what ails ya.

Who are the people on your Internet?

They’re the people that you meet when you’re sending that snarky tweet, when you’re thinking of pushing delete, each day.

I’m a little off this week. I’m mostly blaming the rental inspection and the extra work and stress that came with that. Spilled my hot porridge getting it out of the microwave this morning. Dropped a couple of other things too. Unjokingly stated that my goal for today was to not drop me. And if I did let it be a gentle and controlled fall to the ground. Onto cushions.

So if I’m a little off it’s because I’m feeling off. I was apparently burning up last night and I had some wild dreams, vivid ones, ones I don’t want to relive. Things are getting to me, I’m seeing myself being stubborn on things that don’t really serve me. And I should just ask for what I need from others more, but sometimes I just wish they’d realise and do it.

It isn’t helping that fixing the Corolla has been a long process and without it I can’t do many of the things in my regular routine – going to the foodbank for bread or treats, doing the recycling, taking the dog to the dog park etc. I should have caught the train into group today but I’m not feeling up to the hassle of the trains and the buses and they were having issues yesterday with all the rain too. So I’m home.

So when someone on twitter goes off at me for something that I know is more their issue than mine I’m up to one or two replies then I’m off to ignore them, do something to look after myself (like watch The Batman and get disappointed that they didn’t all die) and remember that I’m a real person, that while phonakins IS me she’s also only what I share with you, and more people need to be aware that noone can be everything to everyone, particularly on Twitter, where as much as it might feel like a friendship sometimes you need to step back and not take it all so personally. I think the one-and-a-half-sided friendships like on Twitch with creators often applies to Twitter interactions too. I also need to remember that I’m just a fangirl of some of these bigger accounts and not really a friend. It’s fun while it lasts but sometimes it’s real and sometimes it’s time for a reality check.

I’m off to strike a balance of food, electrolytes (it’s what plants crave) and caffeine and hope that helps get me through today.

Housing Relief

Had the six-monthly rental inspection this morning. Spent the week cleaning since I found out about it, and it must have been fine because I got an email offering us another 2 years lease (this was just 12 months to start with) with a $10 increase. So, yes, totally taking that offer up lol it was a one year but still taking it and feeling relieved and going to collapse into a corner with the doggo who hung out with me all morning.


My stephdaughter is signing their first lease today on a place up in Tamworth with their bub, and my sister is exchanging contracts on a house in the suburb we grew up with in just under a month, so lots is going to settle for a bit… stepson’s girlfriend is pregnant and so that’ll be the next challenge, they’re also looking for a place together and saving up for what’s ahead.

So I get that mental settling for another could of years. They can increase the rent annually still but that’s not an concern til late next year anyway. I’m thinking of things I can do now to the place now I know I have another couple of years and in terms of settling into the neighbourhood…
In other news, the People Against Poverty Summit in November has been launched. Tickets are tiered. Facebook event here. I’ll have to organise getting up there etc, but it’ll be nice doing that knowing I won’t have a lease ending the next week! See you there?

Happy “Indexation Is Not An Increase” Day

Indexation of welfare payments is legislated for, occurs twice a year for most payments on March and September 20, and once a year for youth payments on January 1. It’s not a real increase, and in fact as it’s calculated off already inferior payments that can’t even see the poverty line, people on them get further behind each time, and those on lower payments get less.

It’s the time of year where welfare advocates sigh and try to refute the narrative that this is somehow a cash splash and we’re all grateful and off living it up at the pub this weekend.

It also doesn’t fully come in for a month.

The 10% increase of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (being touted by some pollies as 12% cos indexation also comes in) only applied to the 14% of welfare recipients who do get CRA, and doesn’t help millions of others at all – the ones not on leases, living in cars and on the street, trying to escape violence, people with mortgages trying to keep their homes.

So, in other news, I ventured to the new “NourishEd” food pantry in Toronto today. I got their $10 hamper and some things from the shelves for free. The local member also popped in while I was selecting free sanitary pads – Hi Dan! in his chat with the organisers they said how they’re ineligible for most grants as they’ve not been open a year. They also made me happy when they said that while it’s needed they’d love to NOT be needed ideally. I was a bit overwhelmed at that stage since I’d been out all morning so didn’t chime in, but yeah, I plan to talk to them further about lobbying for actual change and I do also want to talk to them about getting a Smart Recovery group going on site that they mentioned right when they started fundraising.

Got a weekend ahead cleaning – rental inspection Tuesday. Hopefully all will be well. My arms are tired from knocking down spiderwebs yesterday.

New welfare rates are detailed here.