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.

Sure, I’ll answer some questions!

A journalism student sent me an email and asked me some great questions about welfare in this country. Since I got right into the answers, I though I’d share them here.
 
 
Firstly, one of the statements of yours that I found most interesting was a post you made on X regarding the federal government prioritizing quelling inflation and maintaining a surplus over raising welfare to a liveable standard. Do you believe that the Australian government prioritizes the aesthetics of certain macro-economic factors such as the lowering of inflationary statistics over adequately providing support for government assistance recipients? If so, what message does this send to those utilizing welfare payments?
 
The government and opposition both definitely prioritise the look of the main inflation rates, of interest rates, or employment and unemployment numbers over supporting those who are doing the heavy lifting on those numbers being what they are – the pensioners and other welfare recipients, along with minimum wage workers whose incomes cut them off welfare before they meet the poverty line let alone the cost of living in this country. The narrative of the dole bludger persists and is reinforced by the government. In the workforce Australia inquiry last year Julian Hill used that term when questioning witnesses, despite protesting that Labor were in favour of stopping that narrative
 
 
 
 
Additionally, do you believe that the current disability support pension, as well as the bi-yearly rate update system, are adequate in facing consistent cost of living pressures?
 
The bi-yearly update is fine, 3 monthly would catch us up faster though. As it is the fact that the indexation is only as a percentage of the person’s current payment mean the lower payments increase less even though they are further behind laready. The 12 monthly for youth payments is completely inadequate and yes another reason along with those payments being severely inadequate that youth payment rates for welfare need to be eliminated. The disability pension while above the rate of JobSeeker is not adequate to support a person with long term illness and disability, with estimates of a disabled person needing at least 50% extra disposable income than average to meet the extra costs that come with it. Also, any fiddling with the amount of hours disabled people and people on the aged pension or carers can work is meaningless to most on those payments as being disabled or a carer is a full time job already, and aged pensioners should be able to retire in peace, and use any extra energy for the things they enjoy, and often contribute unpaid to their families and communities through care and volunteering already.
 
 
 
And finally, how do you think failures in support impact government assistance recipients in times of economic stress such as this?
 
People are suicidal, to be blunt. Welfare recipients end their own lives at a much higher rate than those not trying to survive on these payments. The injection of cash during the Covid shutdowns that brought JobSeeker to the poverty line was a welcome relief, along with the suspension of harmful mutual obligations, that led to less suicides by people on welfare payments than outside that time. The informal and formal supports that others who are working and able to give money, time, share their resources with their neighbours is cut down when everyone else is cutting back on spending in order to survive themselves during rapid rent and mortgage rises and costs of essentials like food and energy leaving people struggling. It is offensive to see governments giving more money to increase the resources of food banks and other support that should be on the pointy end – money for overheads like huge warehouses or trucks to shuttle donated food around, staffed by volunteers and work for the dole who can’t afford to shop at supermarkets either, while these organisations solicit donations from people at the checkout and corporate donors and everyone gets a feel good photo. Politicians should be ashamed to expand these while not addressing the inadequacy of welfare payments.
 
I think I got carried away. You’re welcome.
 
Fiona
 

Friday Foodbank Musings

Happy Liptember! The month where I actually wear lipstick and raise funds for women’s mental health projects.

Had a few good conversations this morning about *waves hands around* all of this. Cost of living, Centrelink, gatekeeping and waste from charities, attitudes towards addicts and more. A couple  were in the line for the Ozharvest bag, where the inaccessible nature of the whole process came up because they make us wait outside the gate until 9am, and getting down the driveway or foot or in wheelchairs is hairy at best and they just don’t seem willing to make exceptions. I mean, they don’t even have a designated disabled park on site, and the other parks are up a slope from the doors.

Spams and other tinned meats
Apparently the woolies beef is only 20c cheaper than retail…

I exchanged pleasantries with the volunteers, asking if it was fine to take a fruit and veg bag as well as the pies this week, and yeah there was plenty this week, but I remarked that I didn’t want to get in trouble because if I take one and get told no that was wrong it feels like I’m being told off, and sometimes I think I actually am. Like the time I asked “Hey is it okay is I take a bag of pies” and Sandra was “Please?” ugh. Yes ma’am please mam, I was being pleasant til you got school principal on me. Apparently she also put a guy’s daughter through questioning, which he felt was because “she’s an addict and looks like an addict” and left her feeling like never coming back. He and I talked about playing the meek and grateful role when it’s for ourselves but sometimes getting more than a little protective and defensive of others.

Bread was also in abundance today, which is good because I wound up buying the $8 fancy eggs from Woolies after Aldi was out and Woolies only had the Lake Macquarie local ones left. Good thing it’s pension day!

Two point something percent indexation in not next fortnight’s but the fortnight after. Plus that 10% rent assistance cash splash that Albo was touting that will do SFA, but seems to appease some of the numbers guys.  I’ll be on a whole $1061.60 a fortnight from October 4. I’ll be getting paid for my 3 hours a week work too, let’s see how that affects things!

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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”?