Thursday, June 29, 2006

Aussie rules

Australia is one of the few countries which has the same sort of single-parents-on-welfare problem that NZ faces. Here is their latest attempt to motivate people into work;

Under Welfare to Work - which takes effect from Saturday - those applying for the disability support pension or parenting payment will be forced onto the lower Newstart allowance if they are assessed as able to work 15 hours a week.

Those breaching certain rules - missing an interview, for example - three times in a year could lose payments for two months.
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a vicious circle. Take them off the benefit and they'll apply for an emergency benefit.

But at least it shows the Aussies recognise the problem of career beneficiaries and are trying to address it. That's more than can be said for our Government. They have a whole voting force on retainer.

8:09 AM
Unknown said...

To be fair it doesn't actually tend to be those that have chosen a life on the benefit that truely disturb me - it is the 2nd, 3rd and above generation beneficiaries that pose a severe problem.

These are the people that have never known any other way and frequently serve to trap their own children in a life of poverty with little hope.

11:45 AM
Lindsay Mitchell said...

But iiq374, those who have "chosen a life on the benefit" will produce the "2nd, 3rd and above generation".

It's hard to pass on a work ethic if you don't have one.

1:12 PM
Unknown said...

Correct Lindsay -
However even with "work for the dole" schemes (of which I am in favour) etc where someone is coerced to work they will still not be passing on the work ethic.

What I refer to is that the efforts should probably be focused in rescuing those 2nd / 3rd generations rather than wasting time/effort on the initiators of the cycle. Of course that does not stop us using the 1st generation as part of the means to educate the subsequent generations...

6:42 AM

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