Thursday 14 May 2015

4 week wait for dole already facing senate defeat

If they thought those groups representing welfare would be jumping for joy over the scrapping of the 6 month wait for the dole the gov will be sadly mistaken. Reducing that wait to 4 weeks is no better in my opinion. You still can't go 4 weeks without eating any more than you can go 6 months. 

And how can you "actively look for work" when you haven't even got a bus fare? It's just more of the big stick approach, clobber those dole bludgers and force them to work sort of thing. What if they can't find work because they can't even ring to make an appt because they have no credit on their phone? Just idiotic.

Gladly, this measure for the under 25's is looking square in the face of certain senate defeat.
"Many people wouldn't be able to survive four weeks without a pay cheque. Why is it any different for young people?" 

The concerns were echoed by the Australian Council of Social Service, the Brotherhood of St Lawrence and Mission Australia who warned, "You can't pay the rent with thin air". 

Labor and the Greens also slammed the idea of a four-week wait, and quickly announced they will not back the policy. 

"The government hasn't learnt ... [the policy] should be scrapped entirely," Labor families spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said. 

Greens family spokeswoman Rachel Siewert said four weeks was long enough for a young person to get into $1000 of debt as they tried to live and eat. 

"If they are not lucky enough to move off payments and into a job quickly, we are condemning them to a poverty trap," she said. 

The rumblings of dissent on the all-important Senate crossbench - where six votes out of eight are needed to pass legislation - have also begun. 

Independent Nick Xenophon said he did not understand the "policy rationale" and that the government should be focusing on stimulating job growth instead. 

Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir said there was no justification for the measure and the waiting period should be wound back completely. 

Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer, who has one senator on the crossbench, has previously said that unemployed people should not have to "wait a minute" for welfare. more
I'm starting to wonder if Abbott's gone completely mad and thinking of an early double dissolution election? Oh I hope so. 

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