Tag: budget

Because Albo keeps lying and saying these budget measures are helping people already, here’s when they really come in

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I was cranky before I’d even finished my Jenny Craig porridge I’d gotten at the foodbank this morning because dear leader was going around saying that there was a while heap of “cost of living” measures that HAD ALREADY COME IN THIS WEEK that means it shouldn’t be as shit in the welfare class. But some haven’t come in yet, or partially so, so let’s revisit the May Budget (a lifetime ago) and review what we’re expecting and when.

Medicare Bulk Billing – Remember getting bulk billed at the GP? It’s been a few years since I’ve been, and I’ve had a concession card for all that time. My GP currently charges $89 upfront for a standard appointment, and $69 (nice) if you are a concession card holder. The rebate is about $40. In the budget, the bulk billing incentive – which is what the GP gets on top of the standard rebate if they choose to bulk bill you – was bring tripled, from $6.85 to $20.65 (more in remote areas). BUT, this doesn’t actually come in until November first and would mean my GP would be getting less in total than they charge me now still. I’ve seen a few comments around the place from people expecting to be bulk billed already because of it, and GPs and their staff copping flack for not doing it already, because people like Albanese are out there saying it’s already in place. I don’t know if my GP will go back to bulk billing :/ They haven’t said so yet.

On ABC News Breakfast, Anthony Albanese was asked about the upward revision of the surplus to $19bn – and whether the government could offer more cost of living relief. The prime minister didn’t rule it out, but hinted the surplus will be banked to reduce inflation. He said: Well, we’ll always examine what we can do. But just on Saturday, when July 1 kicked over, we saw cheaper childcare come in. We saw paid parental leave be extended. We saw a tripling of the Medicare bulk billing rate so that more Australians, 11 million Australians, can see a doctor for free. We saw the funding for Medicare urgent care clinics so that more people can get access to a doctor. We saw energy price relief, a $3 billion plan between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to take that pressure off energy price increases as well. We saw all of those measures come in just over a week ago. But we’ll continue to examine what we can do.

JobSeeker and Youth Allowance – Recipients of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance will be getting a HUGE (/sarcasm font) $20 a week or $2.85 increase to their paltry payments from September 20. It’s insulting and insignificant and obvious not enough, and no, it isn’t in yet, despite it being touted as a raise and people assuming it’s there because they saw it on the tele. It also comes in after the regular indexation on the same day for JobSeekers (Youth Allowance kids can still wait til Jan 1 for their next indexation since their is annual), so the go can save a few bucks there. Disability pensioners and carers and others will be getting their indexation September 20 too, let’s see it marketed as the biggest raise ever because inflation has still been flying along!

https://twitter.com/Lisaisalooseun1/status/1673555199879942144?s=20

Single Parent Payment Changes – Labor listened to the biggest noise in the room and agreed to reinstate Single Parent Payment eligibility to 14 years old (not 16 as it was when they helped the libs wreck millions of children’s lives by taking it down to 8 – why yes I’m personally bitter because I truly believe that my stepdaughter’s life would have been better if their mum wasn’t having to go to work when they turned eight. I won’t go into it but there’s a lot that could have been different simply having a parent in the house). This, of course, doesn’t come in til that magical September 20 date. And if your child turns eight before then, you and 9000 others are popped back onto Jobseeker for that time, lose hundreds of dollars a week and have to meet mutual obligations, while trying to somehow retain your housing and so on. Jess on Q+A said it like it was an only got there there’s from the treasurer….

Energy Bill Relief – Concession card holders and family tax benefit recipients have been promised “up to $500” in energy bill relief, dependent on your state of residence. I’m in NSW, so it may be different for you, but mine is promised “BY SEPTEMBER”. So it wasn’t just stuck on on July one, which would have been nice, hey? Some people will still need to apply since they don’t already get a concession. So check your eligibility in your state.

So, in the meantime, costs are going up for everyone, welfare isn’t increasing in a meaningful way, bulk billing may or may not become more common after November, and single parents were just told to suck it up for a few months if their kid’s over 8 before September 20.

Good luck out there people. I love you x

I hate the surplus

Nineteen Billion Dollars

Nineteen Billion dollars isn’t much, they say. It’s also not the amount. The fact that there was any budget surplus while people are struggling to afford food and housing, whether they have a job or not, is a failure. It’s even more insulting that it’s brought to us by the supposed party of the workers, Labor. The party that talked the talk all through opposition that JobSeeker was inadequate and promised that nobody would be left behind. That Labor.

It’s a completely different Labor labour party than the one people voted for or gave their preferences to. We saw early last year, Labor walking back enthusiasm for raising the rate of any welfare payments and then being negotiated into a little panel of selected yes men headed by Jenny Macklin who told them that raising Jobseeker significantly was essential, but they chose to ignore that in favour of almost bringing back single payment eligibility back to where they left it with Gillard, and giving Jobseeker and Youth Allowance recipients a full $20 a week extra (from September 20, none of this is in yet….) Oh and a 15% increase to rent assistance, which for me brings it to $171 to service $820 a fortnight rent.

Rent that I’m just waiting to go up. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a new lease with a substantial rent increase. If I’m unlucky they’ll decide to redevelop this land and imma back back in the rental market, crowdfunding for a houseboat. We muse about our options often, hoping to get this place for another year, while Bruce’s ex has to be our of her place by the end of the month and my stepkids baby is due August 5 (yes I’ll be a grandmother!) Hopefully the stepkids, their partner and the baby will get some emergency social housing, which they said they probably will based on the noises from the not for profits social worker… And we might get our stepson here since he doesn’t have a place yet, but works in town. I’ve adapted to the idea of him moving in. Better than another couple and a baby and cats. No, there are no cats moving in here.

Where was I?

Oh that’s right, thinking about the surplus (did you hear it was $19 BILLION?!?) And how Labor and their Stan’s feign embarrassment while saying they’ve been responsible with the budget and we must think of future expenses (like the stage three tax cuts and submarines) and do our bit by continuing to live on sub poverty welfare payments, minimum wage that won’t get you a rental let alone a home to own, and Coles and Woolies posting mega returns while aski g us to donate to Foodbank and Ozharvest at the checkout on pension day when we only queue for food every other week.

I suppose you want me to do my own budget and write solutions for the government. To say that pleading with them to raise the rate of income support above the poverty line and to build public housing NOW and not say they ought fund affordable housing (whatever the fuck that is) if their little investment pays out. Meanwhile saying the Greens are all talk even tho they are the ones with money to burn but not sharing it where it’s desperately needed

So I wait and see if I’ll be pleasantly surprised.. not by Labor, that ship sank long ago. But by a new lease on this place. For the tent increase to not be too excessive. For my stepkid to have housing of some sort before their baby is born. For them to continue to have hosuk g while they raise the kid. That the threats to exclude more people from the NDIS don’t happen. That my sister and her kids can keep their rental for as long as she wants it and they can access the NDIS supports she needs for them with less off a fight that the previous plans. That the government doesn’t make things worse for everyone. Which they are on track to buy simply fiddling around edges and trying to appease the landlord class.

Nineteen Billion dollars.

What the 2023 Budget means for me

Hey, there’s all these breakdowns of the budget winners and losers and hype and hyperbole, but what does the Labor May 2023 budget mean for me – Fiona, a 40 year old, neurodivergent, partnered DSP recipient without kids of her own but plenty of them in her life whose lives wants to be as good as possible? Specific I know, but hey, it gives me a reference to do this breakdown. Hat-tip this this Guardian breakdown.

Current DSP breakdown totalling $950 a fortnight

Rent assistance: Commonwealth rent assistance will be going up from September 20 (yes, none of the increased welfare payments or changes to eligibility come in until September, it’s going to be a long winter). At the proposed 15%, I will be receiving $170.20 a fortnight in rent assistance to service the $820 fortnight rent that I share with my partner. He is not edible for rent assistance as a low income earner but I get the max amount for both of us.

Disability Support Pension: there was no raise to DSP, carers or Aged Pensions in the budget. I do not work but even if I did get some income from freelance work or online shennanigans, the earning cap before payments start to reduce hasn’t been increased for us on DSP, even though it was listed for Aged Pensioners.

PBS Medicines: The cost of pensioners meds was increased with inflation on Jan 1, raising from $6.70 to $7.20 a script, in amounts Labor’s boasts about cheaper medicines. I’m hoping to benefit from twice as many meds being able to be dispensed at once but I’m not certain it will apply to all my meds due to my previous misuse of some, we’ll see if that does halve my costs as promised.

Medicare: My GP hasn’t bulk billed concession card holders for years. They currently (as in I went Monday) charge $69 upfront for concession and pension card holders and children, and $89 for full fare, with he rebate at $39.75 usually coming back into my account that night. the proposed increase to the bulk billing incentive would mean that GPs would receive an incentive to bulk bill of $20.65 in the city up from $6.85. This is on top of the $40 scheduled fee. So around $61. Hopefully my GP will see it possible to go back to bulk billing pensioners. The urgent care clinics may come in handy.

Psychology: There was nothing announced about any increases in the amount of psychology sessions available through Medicare. It’s currently up to ten a calendar year, which is not enough to get anywhere, and I’d be paying over $200 up front a session if I did engage again. So, since I’m just ticking along I won’t for now.

NDIS: I don’t access the NDIS for myself. It doesn’t seem likely I’d get much support even if I did get into it somehow. I don’t have to current reports and I’d probably have to go through getting a formal diagnosis of Autism, which isn’t worth it from a financial or stress viewpoint if I’m happily ticking along. I’d probably not get it for my “treated and stabilised” BPD which got me DSP either. I’m rather concerned about the talks abut cuts and restraint to funding for my niblings who all have diagnoses and I’m trying to focus on helping them and my sister get the most out of their plans. My niece doesn’t have NDIS, and it’s a matter of seeing that 10 Medicare rebated psych sessions a year probably isn’t enough support going into her teens, but wondering what ASD 1 will get you in an era of restraint and cuts.

Power Bills: I should be getting the full rebates on my electricity bills here in NSW when they come through thankfully. I wish there was more incentives for landlords to install solar, insulation and other energy efficiency stuff in our cold rentals. I’ll also investigate and see if my partner is eligible for any of the discounted appliances for his small business. Can he get a more efficient buffer or pressure washer?

How about you? Were you a “budget winner”?