Pretending to offer a small increase in JobSeeker, the Morrison government is really handing out a massive cut on 29 March. During the lockdown last year, it was universally recognised that $550 is the minimum needed to provide a basic frugal standard of living. This has not changed in 2021. Continue reading Campaign to reverse JobSeeker cut to be launched
We now know that government ministers have agreed to permanently lift the JobSeeker payment by $50 a fortnight or $25 a week. The increase will extend to Austudy, Abstudy and parenting payments. JobKeeeper payments are set to come to an end. Continue reading Miserable $25 a week JobSeeker rise is really a cut
The Covid-19 pandemic has showed that much more must be done for those in aged care and with disability needs. They have experienced more than their share of sickness and death. Continue reading Older people and disabled have a right to be treated properly
Something’s got to be done about the jobActive agencies and their exploitation of the unemployed.
An article in The Saturday Paper revealed that $500 million in public money was handed over to them during the corona lockdown. Continue reading JobActive agencies are abusing unemployed people and must be stopped
It was officially announced yesterday by Scott Morrison. Unemployed Australians will have $100 per fortnight taken form their JobSeeker supplement by December. Continue reading Scott Morison announces JobSeeker payments are to be slashed
Praise over the Morrison government’s generosity with JobSeeker and JobKeeker is misplaced and premature. Continue reading The government’s new generosity toward those out of work is a hoax
Scott Morrison’s government can no longer hide behind the Robodebt system. It blew up in its face. Now there is no choice but to scrap it under its current form. It is technically illegal and cannot continue.
A weak apology to those who were hurt is far from good enough. It’s even worse, when there is a refusal to rule out that such thing ever happening again. There even a refusal to guarantee that money wrongfully extracted will be paid back, or to stop hounding those the system has targeted.
Such meanness says a lot about how Scott and his mates see those who are not in their special club.
A leaked document obtain by The Guardian reveals that the illegal ‘income averaging’ method has been used widely. Staff at Centrelink were instructed to use the method in 2015,when the Robodebt system was put into operation. Although this was before Scott Morrison became the Prime Minister, he has continued it.
Since 2015, the number of claimed debts exploded, from around 20,000 a year to 20,000 a month.
Those without work and those without a decently paying job are seen as a resource to create an army of cheap labour, to pull down the wages of those who do have a proper job.
To do this effectively, a section of the population must be marginalised, have hope stripped away from them, and be made desperate enough to work for crumbs. Businesses can then demand more of their workers, with the promise that there are plenty of others prepared to do your job for less.
Rising unemployment and insecure work serve this purpose.
It’s a method that has been used through history and becomes more pronounced during times of economic difficulty. But this does not fit a society and economy that claims to be fair.
While some employers might benefit in the short-run, history has shown that when this persists and becomes the norm, the economy is undermined.
By aiding this Scott Morrison and those around him are betraying those they claim to serve and don’t really give a hoot about the future of Australia. They are there to serve the big end of town and line their own pockets.
The sooner everyone decides to consign this lot to history the better. Imagine if they were similarly chased to recover ill gotten gains.
The new fast-growing national movement to hit Australia, Living Incomes For Everyone, was launched on Tuesday 21 July.Thousands watch online during the event or after. It is on Facebook and has been included below.
Continue reading Big movement for economic and social justice is taking off
Continue reading We need to consign the term ‘dole’ and its nasty derivatives to pre-Covid history
The private operators in the Job Network program and nowadays called Jobactive providers, have been showing just what a caring lot they are, by bullying those who come to them after losing their jobs because of the Coronavirus epidemic. They didn’t give two hoots that the nation was in lockdown and there were no jobs going. Continue reading Government promotes the bullying of people on JobSeeker payments
