Federal budget

[J Smith]

So I just heard Wayne Swan say that focussing on mental health issues has been a long standing commitment of this government. I support the extra focus on this topic, but hearing this made my ears perk. When was the last (and first) time I heard mention of increasing focus on mental health? Oh yes, I remember. When I was voting to keep plants legal on Get-Up, they had just taken on a campaign to get the government to throw more money at mental health. Interesting that they took on that topic less than 6 months ago when apparently it has been a long term goal of this government anyway...

And yet they didn't take on the plant campaign.

Get-up

[Rabelais]

GetUp grind my arse. All that money they raised for the anti net filtering campaign and the best they could do was that lame Censordine commercial that was played at 9am on Sunday mornings.

Don't get me started on the $400 per installation for nana's new digital receiver so she can keep watching Today Tonight.

[qualia]

Don't get me started on the $400 per installation for nana's new digital receiver so she can keep watching Today Tonight.

that is a bit ridiculous,

re: mental health - what i thought was more odd than swannie's statement, was abbott's statement that the government had finally bowed to pressure and been shamed into action from the opposition, classic,

[Foo]

that is a bit ridiculous,

re: mental health - what i thought was more odd than swannie's statement, was abbott's statement that the government had finally bowed to pressure and been shamed into action from the opposition, classic,

 

Good on you Mr Abbott .

Not impressed with the intrest rate hike cmon im poor enough!!!

[santiago]

$400 for the pensioners is nothing.......these guys have had power, gas and food and much more increase substantially over the last few years and have had little or no increases, every week there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of scamming unemployed or so called single parents getting $600 to $1000 per fortnight for contributing jack shit to society.

sure we all know it doesnt cost 400 for a set top box but thats not the point, give a little compassion to the oldies please....you will be old one day too.

i bet these retailers and set top box makers almost double the price of set top boxes overnight though and i reckon the corporate watchdog should keep a close eye on this.

plus most the pensioners missed out on stimulis payments, which when it came i knew some loser girl who used to root yankee sailers down in rockingham and ended up with 5 half american children from all different dads, as well as the substantial maintanance she is on, she is on heaps of single parenting payment, free medical for life, all the government benifits.....she is apparently caring for her mum too (more gov money), got priority housing in which she is paying $125 per week for a brand new housing commission house + she got nearly 7K from stimulis payments from ruddy.

seems pretty trivial the $400 to me for needy pensioners.

[random]

Santiago wrote:

every week there

are hundreds of thousands if

not millions of scamming

unemployed or so called

single parents getting $600 to

$1000 per fortnight for contributing jack shit to

society.

Oh really..... And you are making such random assumptions against who, exactly?

And what are those parents who are single from escaping drug abusing violent partners or single for no fault of their own, supposed to do?! Dump their kids in child care with randoms and race out to get ANOTHER JOB so that *taxpayers* will have a scrap of respect for them and be able to assume that by working and abandoning their already FULL TIME duties as parents, that they will then be worthy of the title *contributing to society* ?

Ah, to me this sounds like more assumptions being made by people who are upset at the already down and out getting a little hand up to help raise the FUTURE contributors to this planet.

P.s what exactly do you presume that money gets spent on?

Actually, nevermind, no point in me wasting energy arguing about this with people who have already made their minds up. I'm out of this thread, and I agree, getup is a waste of time .

[Amazonian]

Boojay Boojay..... Budget love , Budget direct.

[santiago]

so called single parents meeka...................the ones who claim the benifit whilst infact having a partner, these days its so simple............man just puts down his address as the minesite he works at, woman claims she is single, man gets $150000 per year, so called single woman gets $25000 tax free.

not the real single parents meeka, even then though i still think $500 per week as a single parent is a tad too easy.

all im saying is were gonna have millions whinging about $400 measly bucks for a real pensioner, when there are billions wasted each month on scamming wankers.

dont even get me started on the priority public housing for refugees.

i have a friend that works in dept housing an she tells me they are being forced to kick as many people (and very needy people) as they can both off priority list and the main list as possible to make way for refugees.

sure lots of these refugees need a place to but i find it sickening an australian can be on the waiting list 10 years + and a refugee gets a place almost immediatly, this is not scaremongering...................its the absolute truth.

i know people will say, but they come froma poor war torn country and need help..............but what about sally who is sleeping in a car at the park with her 4 children.

[Amazonian]

even then though i still think $500 per week as a single parent is a tad too easy.

 

There are those that abuse the system . It seems the ones who don't really need the help, get it , and the ones that do really need the help, are left out in the cold.

$500 ain't much ... Rent is like $300 a week, then there is food, utilities, after school sports etc etc etc .. Kids are expensive that's for sure .

[santiago]

$500 isnt much agreed.............still $500 with basically next to nothing child care is a better deal than $600 for the average lower end average full time worker + $60 per day childcare.

[incognito]

people on activity tested centrelink payments are gonna find compliance ALOT more stricter after june1 as well.

seems the gov is putting its foot down HARD on welfare payments. the disability support pension will be EXTREMELY difficult to attain, (well, at least for people that are not genuine)and will be looking to weed the imposters out of the dsp category.

from what i understand australia is not going to be sitting to pretty economically once the baby-boomers have retired, there will be many many more non-earners in aus than earners, and effectively the country will be in big shit.

the days of getting on the rock and roll and kicking back are long gone.

from what i hear the govs opinion is: anyone that can work, should and will be working. there are going to be substantial incentives to keep people working even after retirement age (65)

[synchromesh]

The government is doing what's in its nature again is it? Well, who would have thunk it?

from what i hear the govs opinion is: anyone that can work, should and will be working. there are going to be substantial incentives to keep people working even after retirement age (65)

 

Government delivers dole crackdown

Long-term unemployed will be forced to almost double their work experience efforts or lose the dole, under tough new measures to be unveiled today in Treasurer Wayne Swan's fourth federal budget.

From July next year, people who have been out of work for two years or more will be required to engage in work for the dole, training, part-time work or job-related volunteering for 11 months a year.

Currently the very long-term unemployed have to undertake those obligations for six months a year.

Government is awesome!

[ThunderIdeal]

in essence i am happy about this. in reality though, here's how i think it works. the scammers know the system, they know what they can get away with and how to make it all work for them. ever since it ceased to be called CES, i think they have been making it harder to get payments, and the bludgers have all of this experience jumping through the hoops and working the system.

when you have a genuine right to payments, you go into centrelink and have to deal with all of the bullshit in place to try to weed out the bludgers, and simultaneously, centrelink's famous incompetence and predictable mishandling of about 60% of every step in the long-winded process that is your application for a measly payment.

in total i've spent years unable to get a job and the majority of that time i did not apply for centrelink payments. all of their bullshit doesn't stop the bludgers from getting payments year after year, it just makes it difficult (infuriating) for authentic job seekers.

[rogdog]

When the treasurer has a charming masonic handshake like this, you just know he is looking out for his mates, and not his electorate

also, who the hell has pyramid cufflinks? oh, masons, thats who

[qualia]

from what i understand pensioners don't actually get $400, that money goes to the tradies who set it up,

these guys have had power, gas and food and much more increase substantially over the last few years and have had little or no increases

then surely there's a better way to rectify this than give them a set-top box?

but hey, if they're happy with it then thats fine, i don't actually pay tax so really I'm not as affected as most,

substantial incentives to keep people working even after retirement age (65)

my parents retire in a few years (as they eagerly tell me everytime we speak), i don't think there's an incentive large enough to get them to work a day past their 65th birthday.

[synchromesh]

I just believe it's time to stop getting fucked in the arse by government... Who's with me?

[Halcyon Daze]

Two things I believe the Gov is trying to do here.

1. penny-pinching to get the budget back into surplus, because a surplus would be the ultimate slap in the face for the opposition who led us into the crisis to begin with.

2. I think they are creating diversionary issues, which would help sure up the votes of the labour-right.

I don't particularly support or oppose Labour, in fact there's lot I don't like about Labour at the moment, but I do think life is better for most Australians than what it was under Howard.

[synchromesh]

Yeah? How much better on a scale of 1 to 10?

[qualia]

I just believe it's time to stop getting fucked in the arse by government... Who's with me?

 

YES!! VOTE LIBERAL!!

no wait....what?

[synchromesh]

You misread what I said... Read it again.

[incognito]

synchro that is not a masonic handshake you paranoid freak!!

i cant believe you still have this boner for the masons. you really need to meet my dad, then all of your fears will be swept away lol

[incognito]

to get on dsp now there is a fairly comprehensive process of assessment. one by a job capacity assessment team, which seem to be quite tough in their assessments, as well as a comprehensive medical rport from a doctor. there is a rediculous amount f aussies on dsp, and this is the one payment ofwhich recipients and potential applicants will come under the microscope.

im kinda with thunder. i think it could be a good thing. however, i do beleive clink staff should have alot more training in identifying social problems, mental health issues and other barriers that prevent a person complying with an activity test or participation activitys to receive whatever payment they are on. alot more training needs to be given so referrals can be made to applicable sevices in the community that may help. i believe every centrelink office should have AT LEAST one social worker at each office. there just aernt enough social workers for face to face assistance to customers in crisis, the service of which usually falls on the shoulders of an extremely stressed out customer service attendant, who isnt skilled to assess the situation, and therefore usually leaves the person continuing in their shitfight, and not complying, and getting their payments suspended, which works them deeper into their hole.

ive got two friends who work for centrelink, and from what i understad it is a CUNT of a STRESSFUL ASS job.

these guys cop shit from all angles, from customers, management and other staff. its a high stress environment, and these guys have to retain focus for the full 8 hours. theres alot more work to be done on service delivery. the amount of knowledge these guys are expected to retain seems rediculous.

[incognito]

And yet they didn't take on the plant campaign.

i seriously dont think its a priority man.

if ur dealing coke and u get busted and u have some salvia plants yeah u MAY get done, if they i.d them.

averag ejoe with a brug in he backyard isnt gonna be bothered.

[santiago]

i reckon the government should have stole pantene shampoo's advertising people............

Gillards new slogan- IT WONT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT BUT T WILL HAPPEN

the few times i have been in a centrelink office over the years i sometimes catch myself thinking when im waiting for the inevitable slow line - "hurry up and give me my free money you pricks""

see the government doesnt need to hurry really, roadworks are a good example- my uncle bob builds roads for a local council and tells me they get 3 months to do a roundabout, they could do it in 1 month but the estimate they are given is 3 months working time and it serves no need at all for the individual worker to complete a job faster, all it would mean if they did was getting laid off in the future and having to work harder for minimum wage.

same for centrelink, they have what??? 5 million clients?? they are never going to get to the end of the line like a coles checkout so why would you bother going any faster if you were a worker.

stiil the public housing situation gives me the shits...............our WA treasurer troy buswell had a sensational idea, he proposed subsidising all the people on waiting lists with the equivilant rental rebate that a public housing house would get but for those in private rentals. ie joe blogs on the waiting list but in a $350 private p/w rental house- he would get $200 voucher per week paid to the private rental so effectivelly the waiting list is incumbent.

[synchromesh]

synchro that is not a masonic handshake you paranoid freak!!

 

I never said it was, dingbat.

i cant believe you still have this boner for the masons. you really need to meet my dad, then all of your fears will be swept away lol

I can't believe you and your Dad still don't know what a pyramid is...

And yet they didn't take on the plant campaign.

i seriously dont think its a priority man.

if ur dealing coke and u get busted and u have some salvia plants yeah u MAY get done, if they i.d them.

averag ejoe with a brug in he backyard isnt gonna be bothered.

 

Baaaaaaaa... Seriously speaking though, didn't the threads on that subject teach you anything?