Usually when someone becomes unemployed through no fault of their own, they can apply for a basic benefit of $250 p/w after tax. And there are many hurdles and hoops to navigate in order to obtain that $250.
The government in its infinite wisdom, and nothing to do with this being an election year or wanting to hide the reality of subsisting on welfare entitlements from the public at large, has decided that newly unemployed people are deserving of untaxed payments of ~$500 p/w (at least until after the election’s out of the way)
That’s $500 a week whether single or married as long as a partner does not earn more than $2000 p/w.
For us “unworthy” unemployed, we’re prosecuted if in receipt of basic entitlements and WINZ decides we have a partner. For us “unworthy” unemployed, the result can be a jail sentence followed by full repayment of all monies received (not just the proportion of monies deemed to have been obtained by fraud).
And we’re all in this thing together?!
I don’t begrudge anyone receiving $500 p/w by the way. It’s just that it’s utterly cruel to expect people to get by in any meaningful way on $250 (plus whatever they might be able to squeeze out of the so-called welfare system if they know exactly what to say, and what not to say, and perform like a fucking monkey on an impossible trapeze – for a few tens of dollars).
The government obviously fully understands the basic inequity and inadequacy of the welfare system or it wouldn’t be bolting this short term second tier onto existing welfare provisions . But I guess their only aim is to mollify the suburbs in these straitened times. I also guess they don’t want the vote of any “unworthy” types this election – people who used to be supermarket workers or cleaners or binmen/women, and who were in every way probably pretty much exactly like the newly discovered “worthy” jobless of today.
Unlikely as it is, it would be nice to think meaningful support would flow to us “unworthy” types and that the “good folks” of the suburbs would signal to the government that this kind of discriminatory crap isn’t on.
Or are we not really all in this together? Do some, perhaps, have stars on thars?
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress