CW Suicide and self harm etc
People are doing amazing work out there. The Antipoverty Centre filed their submission to the national Suicide Prevention Strategy. And it’s good. And you’ll read it and nod your head at the content and shake your head at the lack of action from governments and lip service from supposed support organisations. It’s here. There’s facts and stats and stories and it’s all there, screaming to governments to Rise the Rate of Welfare and build public housing and get rid of partner income tests to help people to get out of abusive situations and have independence within relationships. Agency is important and people are feeling helpless and are driven to despair. And suicide is certainly a more appealing option for some that continuing in a punitive welfare situation.
Thankyou for putting that together. And for acknowledging the frustration that people are experiencing with telling their stories over and over and pleading for the dignity of being listened to, when 2.5 years into government, they decide not to respond to the DSP inquiry since it’s been so damned long since the recommendations were made, which is certainly not one of the principles of TREATING PEOPLE WITH RESPECT that was recommended.
meanwhile, apparently social security debts from the seventies are fair game, even though 6 years was said to be plenty long back to expect people to defend debts. But you know, why respect the recommendations from millions of dollars and thousands or hours of paid and unpaid work by experts and lawyers and people on the ground. Fuck us, right?
According to a question on notice response from Services Australia last year, they were at that time pursuing so-called debts from welfare recipients all the way back to 1979 (and presumably still are, unless they somehow managed to recoup that one). https://t.co/3AaIJcNoLX
— Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent) November 7, 2024
It’s more than two years since that qanda episode where I got to ask about our dear Treasurer when things might get better, and really nothing has changed. Rent keeps going up, as does every other cost, including out of pocket GP expenses and more. But yeah. Go red team?
Jim Chalmers spruiked the simplicity of his first budget, but as the price of items rises faster than the rate of welfare – is it really ‘bread and butter’ for struggling households? #QandA pic.twitter.com/p0eECVajlR
— QandA (@QandA) November 3, 2022
I’ve had to put some boundaries in place to help manage my sanity, I’m going to respect my bedtime and meds times more, even if that means other people have to do more for themselves.
"People in poverty are the most important stakeholders in the policies that affect our lives… But welfare recipients are weary of constantly placing our lives and despair on the record, only for politicians to discard us and move on." https://t.co/Ra6Iwu1cNs
— 💜 phonakins 🇵🇸🍉🔻 (@phonakins) November 10, 2024
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