Western Sydney can decide an election, and has done in the past. It was targeted by Howard with welfare payments to his battlers, indeed they became known as "Howard Battlers" and kept him in power for years. Indeed the asylum seeker policies of both Labor and Lieberal have been designed to placate western Sydney racists.
Curious now that those racists who voted to stop the boats, who have been so pandered to in the past by both sides of politics, have now been abandoned by Abbott and are facing wearing the brunt of his cruel surprise budget. This from the Western Sydney Community Forum:
Western Sydney Community Forum (WSCF) has undertaken an initial analysis of the 2014 Federal Budget brought down by the Coalition Government on Tuesday night 13th May. WSCF is gravely concerned for the social despair that could be unleashed if the proposed budgetary measures are rolled out.
This budget represents a significant first step in a program that appears to dismantle the social welfare system that creates the safety net that is a mark of civilised society in Australia. We are deeply concerned about the impact of this on residents of Greater Western Sydney (GWS), who already face the disadvantage of low incomes, inadequacy of public and social infrastructure and postcode discrimination.
WSCF is apprehensive that the "end the age of entitlement" targets its cuts at young people, unemployed people, the chronically ill, the disabled, aged and young families. Western Sydney is home to many disadvantaged communities and we know firsthand that most cannot afford the unkind measures being proposed.
Unemployment in western Sydney for young people is approximately 16%, nationally 12.7%. In Hawkesbury / Baulkham Hills it rose an astounding 73 in the past two years, in Parramatta 48% and in Blacktown 44%[1]. The call to young people to "move into employment before they embark on a life on welfare" ignores projections that the official jobless rate will rise to 6.25 percent in 2014-15 and remain there for the next year.
The claim that "we all must contribute" would leave a 24-year-old unemployed person with an income cut of $2,500 a year; a person receiving $250,000 a year would pay increased taxes of just $1,400 under the government's 2 percent tax levy on income over $180,000.
WSCF is concerned that the debt levy is temporary, lasting only three years, while the welfare cuts are permanent. It has been further reported that government revenue raised by the levy, will not even compensate for the lowering of the corporate tax rate from 30 to 28.5 percent. more
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