Thank You

Thank you for a good 2024. Yes, you. If you’ve been in my life this year, I’ve been better for it. Maybe you’ve helped me out with something tricky, maybe I’ve helped you. Maybe you’re a pain but I’ve grown in some way through our interactions. Maybe you subscribe to this blog. Maybe you’ve sent me money or gifts in appreciation of my blogging or social media. Maybe you’re family. Maybe you’re the family I’ve made.

My most popular post this year was Hey, have you tried shopping at Aldi? (and other unhelpful advice given to people on welfare). That was closely followed by Food banks are just a more expensive way to get food that isn’t necessarily suitable to poor people: Prove me wrong. (See I am still a food blogger).

Most of you came here from Twitter. And mostly from so-called Australia.

Thank you for a good blogging year.

 

“Social Cohesion” is not something that can be enforced, but a goal to nurture by looking after people

Wow, just wow.

18 months ago, Victoria got a pretty sweet statue, helping to balance out the ones of male sporting heroes and genocidaires. There may be some irony here – Zelda D’Aprano was born in a Jewish family (mum became a communist, and I’d be certain Zelda and her mum would be out at the current anti-genocide rallies), but her chains are being banned from use in  protest  in  that  state,  while  I haven’t  seen  unionists  locking on  for  pay  and  conditions  for  awhile, they, and glue, are quite popular for “disruptive” protests, such as blocking coal trains here in the Hunter, or  blocking main roads. All very naughty in the pursuit of capitalism.  But Australian police are already pretty good at arresting people for their inconveniencing of others –top of the world actually.

The image depicts a bronze statue of a woman standing on a pedestal. She is holding a sign in her right hand that reads "NO MORE MALE & FEMALE RATES ONE RATE ONLY." Her left hand holds a chain, which appears to be broken and is draped over the pedestal. The woman is dressed in a mid-20th-century style, wearing a long coat buttoned up, with a high-collared top underneath. Her hair is styled in a curled, vintage manner. The pedestal bears the name "ZELDA D'APRANO" in gold letters. Behind the statue is a building with arched windows, suggesting an urban or formal setting. The ground is paved and there are patches of grass and fallen leaves in the background.

It’s the social cohesion “pledge” that really gets me. I’m sure there will be “clarification” about the masks not meaning for health reasons and that they aren’t really wanting to make it easier to pepper spray people who are merely protecting themselves against covid (lol). But the pledge. Keen to see the wording and how it’ll mean you can’t get government funding if you’re against genocide but somehow Zionist organisations will still qualify. Just like how the AJA still gets to stay a charity somehow.

New Social Cohesion Laws in Victoria: Banning flags and symbols of listed terrorist organisations, including Hamas and Hezbollah, white nationalists and more. Banning the use of masks at protests which are used by agitators to shield identities and hide from personal accountability. Banning the use of glue, rope, chains, locks and other devices used to cause maximum disruption and endanger Victorians. Introducing a social cohesion pledge for organisations who apply to receive funding from the State Government. Committing to new laws to protect the rights of all Victorians to gather and pray, free from fear, harassment and intimidation. Jacinta Allan MP Premier of Victoria

But, Labor isn’t the party of unions and the common worker. They’re loving their role of law maker and punisher. I watched Silent Night Deadly Night this week, and it’s very Mother Superior of them. Reminding us who’s in charge and that punishment is absolute for us naughty little children.

We do of course hope that some of those naughty white boys playing Nazi will be unmasked and revealed to be cops and co we believe they are in their days jobs, but that will come with the pepper spraying of more activists, and the further destruction of the planet and the people of Palestine.

The image is a cartoon panel with a light purple background featuring two characters with exaggerated eyes speaking to each other. The character on the left is wearing a red shirt, and the character on the right is in a blue shirt. They both have simplistic, animal-like features and are engaged in conversation. The character on the left says, “Very convenient for the government that the poor are too tired to fight back,” while the character on the right responds with, “Until they aren’t.”

You’re not going to get more social cohesion by taking away rights and exeptionalising one group over another. You need to support and nurture your people. You can’t deprive them by leaving them in poverty or denying them healthcare and expect them to fall into line. Kids in cars at Christmas, in tents all year around, you can’t run a surplus and leave kids unhoused and not expect backlash. Even if we’re banned from masks and chains.

Time for some good old ghosts of Xmas or their earthly brothers, to scare the rich into line.

 

 

 

Xmas Shutdown – Much needed time off for Volunteers, but here’s how long til the Food Banks reopen

Second last morning for my regular food bank this morning. After Wednesday 11/12 they reopen on January 6. Knowing them, they’ll be delivering emergency hampers this whole time. Emergency hampers not funded by the government, but from funds they’re raised through the year from community members and local businesses.

They’re frantically prepping for their Xmas party Sunday. They have gifts for 2000 kids and hundreds of hampers. They’re even doing gift cards for teens, getting donations for them from local businesses.

palates of standard $25 foodbank hampers

Another local foodbank closes Wed 18th at lunchtime, reopens January 13. Another weekly one does their last $15 hampers on the 19th and then comes back Jan 16.

last year's foodbank christmas hamper

Obviously, all these volunteers well and truly deserve a break, and school holidays and Christmas means less people available to help out. A few more just generally close for school holidays (so not back until February). So then, people are left to their own devices, a time when schools are closed, work schedules are thrown out (sometimes way more work sometimes way less), Centrelink reporting is earlier and people either get paid earlier with the public holidays or they miss the early reporting date and have to stretch til the payment comes through.

We also all know the chaos of holiday grocery shopping, even on more generous budgets.

So, on this day where Youth Payment indexation has been advertised – up to $24.30 extra a fortnight from Jan 1 – and organisations are asking the government to raise the rate of welfare payments, let’s aim for better and ask for ALL payments to be raised above the poverty line – at last $88 a day if we go with the Henderson Poverty Line. People need money to survive, they can’t actually access safety nets like food banks all year around, give them the dignity of choosing and buying their own food – for Christmas and for every day.

Happy #PoveratiXmas to those that observe!

The term poverati was used derogatively towards antipoverty activists on Twitter a couple of years back. It’s meant to deride – to poke fun at a group of people doing their best to find community through shared experience of poverty. I first heard it from a think tank member claiming to be working in the interests of poor people in this country. So, we reclaim it, and use it for a little fun ourselves.

The #PoveratiXmas will be observed on Twitter and Blue Sky this year with a thread being posted on today on each site for community members to post their wishlists and pay links so that hopefully some benevolent fairies will come through and fund some wishes.

The threads are:

Twitter: https://x.com/phonakins/status/1862973298818388264

Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/phonakins.com/post/3lc72lnn3cs2l

It’s up to the individual whether they participate. You can be on welfare or not, there’s plenty of people struggling on low incomes, with disabilities or as carers and many reasons out there so don’t be judgy of others xoxo

Please, if you have the means, try to fund a wish and share with your communities so that more people can have their wishes funded.

Wishes can be anything from groceries to fun things like computer games. Anything to make this life and season more bearable to the #Poverati

I had a request to post a different kind of wishlist here:

My Wish List... isn't for Christmas and it isn't stuff that I can buy. Not for lack of money – my bank balance has become a bit of an embarrassment; No number of disappointing impulse buys (or worse, the carefully researched and planned budget buys that come up a lemon) can put a dent in it. So the first thing on my wish list is help with spending those idle dollars. By the time some or all of them are spent, I should end up with most of the rest of the things I'm wishing for: 1. Transport for me, and my dog Ishka to an actual city, as far South on the Australian mainland as possible. The cost to transport me, by rail, to Melbourne, would be in the range of $300 - $400; Ishka, by road, through a transport & kenneling service $800 - $900. 2. Somewhere to live when I arrive wherever. Shared accommodation would be fine. I've looked at Flatmates.com.au a couple of times recently but my thinking hits the same old roadblock – how the hell do I get to meet any prospective housemates? 3. Help with disposing of a lot of unwanted stuff. I think this might be the third time that I've had to dispose of a lot of domestic stuff that I could no longer use or afford to keep in storage. Much of this lot will probably need to go into a skip, but there's some donatable stuff in the mix. So add to the budget the cost of a skip to clear the absolute garbage. 4. Help in identifying other tasks, and sub-tasks so that I end up with ... 5. A workable plan. 14 Nov 2024 I wrote the screed & list above on 10 November. Had the occasional second thoughts about whether it should be published since then because it looks like a big ask. So here's a bit of an apologia. First, writing it and sending it to phonakins actually threw a wrench in the vicious mental cycle that I was in – enough to stop the emotional flywheel spinning wildly so that I'm now able to identify, and take various measures to improve my current situation. But, ultimately, I need to get out of it. And working out how to achieve that by spending money, and by spending money alone, remains beyond me.

If you can help this person, comment below or email me phonakins@gmail.com and I’ll forward it onto him!

Food banks are just a more expensive way to get food that isn’t necessarily suitable to poor people: Prove me wrong

A christmas hamper from a foodbank
2023’s Foodbank Christmas Hamper

TFIF, am I right? And that the pollies have headed home for the summer break after a chaotic final week, and maybe we’ll get some respite from their pontificating until that election is called/ Rumours around say it’ll be in March, others say it’ll drag on til the usual May.

To follow up on my last post “Just because it’s better than nothing, doesn’t make it “good”, we head back to the food banks as the summer heat and humidity really kick in, and summer shutdowns approach. The charities themselves are also in rush mode, soliciting donations how they can while getting out the Xmas hampers to those needing the support.

But let’s break down that process a little.

Foodbank™ charges the local charities and food pantries for the hampers and food items they get from them. It’s usually $25 for a prepacked hamper, whether Xmas or through the year, and (often extremely short dated) groceries are sold and the locals then generally on sell them a little above their cost, but sometimes for more. This can be to the point where it’s cheaper to buy items from regular supermarkets, at least on special.

St Vincent de Paul Inc This CHRISTMAS HELP PEOPLE LIKE TANIA GET BACK ON THEIR FEET

They rely on the labour of volunteers – at the warehouses it’s often corporate volunteers, there paid by their regular employer, often a big (?tax avoiding) business. As do the local charities, but they’re well meaning locals, church members or someone who used the service and isn’t doing as bad as others at the moment. This labour is “free” to the charities, and most people want to be there (though we do hear of work for the dole at foodbanks) but it’s still labour.

Survivor's R Us Incorporated · 💙 SRU HAMPERS OF HOPE 💙 Many people ask how they can help us help others... here is one very important way you can help! By donating $25, you will allow us to purchase an essentials food hamper from Foodbank for someone in need. The hampers feature over $70 worth of groceries that will help the recipient create several meals and snacks - breakfast cereal, soup, pasta, noodles, tinned goods, milk, coffee, tea bags, biscuits, etc. Contributing this way will help us help people in need EVERY DAY, in fact, several times each day. You can donate via the link to our website - with paypal, direct deposit into our account, or donate while you're here shopping with us: https://www.survivorsrusincorporated.com/donations Every little bit helps! We thank you in advance.
“The hampers feature over $70 worth of groceries that will help the recipient create several meals and snacks – breakfast cereal, soup, pasta, noodles, tinned goods, milk, coffee, tea bags, biscuits, etc.”

Emergency hampers are funded by what ever the local charities can get together. SRU asks directly for $25 from supporters to buy a hamper from Foodbank. Vinnies asks for $72 so they can purchase their own for their clients. Foodbank also asks for $35 donations for hampers, again is this on top of the $25 they charge the local charities, any donations made by corporations, through telethons and ones at the checkout. They and other food relief charities like Ozharvest regularly are mentioned by politicians as receiving a block of funding to rent a new warehouse, while not mentioning WHY people can’t afford to just purchase their own food.

Vinnies NSW · Follow rpesSotndo3c c1h5 n e 0520h96ut9gt0ifu0 J i u 8fm04f2 8 31magi3h655h6 · Did you know? A $72 donation helps provide urgent, immediate assistance to a vulnerable person in our community. A $72 donation is enough to cover the cost of a hamper filled with essential food for someone who is experiencing or is at risk of homelessness this winter. More donations are needed so more hampers can be provided to people who need them. Will you donate today? Click here to learn more https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-nsw/winter-appeal-nsw

The food is standard fare – pasta and vegemite, weetbix and UHT milk and the like. The Christmas ones are similar but with tinned ham and pudding and custard. Not exactly allergy friendly for my many gluten or dairy intolerant folks. All these items are purchased outright it seems for the hampers, they’re well in date and consistent in brands, though it’s possible some of the companies make specific bulk donations. Unlike the stuff that comes from the Supermarkets – the close to date foods or experimental foods that haven’t sold and Colesworth can write them off as donations rather than copping the loss because they purchased incorrectly. Don’t worry, it’s not coming out of their profits.

Then we get to the fresh produce. I picked up some bread from my local food pantry Wednesday, and threw it out Thursday because it was moldy. This heat and humidity is terrible, but the bread was best before the 24th, so for it to turn by the 28th is not all surprising. It’s a pain, and fortunately I could afford replace it with a fresh loaf when I was out last night, but for others that means no bread til Monday or Wednesday when the foodbank is open again. Freezing it as soon as I got it home Wednesday would just have meant I’d be having bread that was not yet showing mold. Yum Yum.

And this is why I scream just give people enough money to feed themselves the food they want when they want it. Raise welfare above the poverty line so people can afford fresh bread that lasts more than a day before turning. So they can buy allergy-friendly foods. So they can choose the fruit and veges and snacks they are their kids actually like to eat. Channel all that extra government funding for warehouses and transporting old food around the country into welfare payments and programs that actually support people. Give them free childcare rather than free weetbix. Tax the supermarkets and the resources companies more so they can directly fund these thigns rather than them pretending to be the good guys by writing off excess food and donating cash and staff labour and getting to put their little logos on things.

Major reform is needed, but you can start by giving people enough money to live.

Middle fingers up til the reaper shows up

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Added later cos OMG: