Abbott cuts food funding for illness that causes brain damage

Perhaps we should start calling this gov Scrooges instead of Lieberals. Honestly, just nit picking away at services that cost fuck all but are essential for those that use them. Like home care for stroke victims and people ill who need help. Now it's a pissy little $256 a month for specialist food, those that need it having a disease that causes brain damage if they don't get it.

 

Update:

The media has picked it up. It'd be like cutting funding to my HIV meds and telling me to pay for them at some outrageous price. What is the price of a human life? What an incredibly mean spirited gov this is.

The restriction on Jayden is profound. Imagine a day where you cannot eat meat, fish, any dairy products, nuts, seeds, legumes and most other processed packaged foods including bread, pasta, cereal and flour. 

This is Jayden's diet every day, the only way we can fill him up is with specially made low protein products. These special medical foods are extremely expensive to buy. 

For example a loaf of low protein bread costs $10 and only has 10 small slices, Jayden being a teenage boy easily eats 2 sandwiches for lunch (that's nearly half of the loaf of bread). A 375g box of cereal is $14.95 (this usually only last 2-3 breakfasts), a 500g box of pasta is $10. The food is approximately 7 times more expensive than regular food. 

Since 2001 the Federal Government had assisted families with a monthly food grant (IEM Grant) to help cover the cost of sustaining the complex and expensive diet that includes specialised low protein foods. 

Jayden is the second eldest person alive in Australia living with his condition, before this time the proper management of his condition was not available and resulted in premature death. Jayden is living testament of the importance of dietary management of this condition. 

But now we have been told that this essential food grant will no longer be available after the Federal Government announced they would cease funding the program by the end of the year. 

I am quite shocked by the government's decision, as we don't get much other assistance from the Federal Government. more  

Update 2:

Petition here.

The Metabolic Dietary Disorders Association (MDDA) – the national patient support group for families living with an Inborn Error of Metabolism (IEM) - has been advised by the Department of Health today that the IEM food grant (a grant supporting individuals living with rare metabolic diseases) will finish in December 2015 and will no longer be funded by the government. 

This is part of the government’s recent cuts to health budget, and effects families who are the most vulnerable and who only have a small voice because their condition is rare. sign petition  

Meanwhile, this is all that's being cut by the gov at the top earners in Australia, whoop de fuckin do:

• $3.1 billion Temporary Deficit Levy 
• $295 million capping of meal and entertainment benefits 
• $845 million tightening of car expenses.