New 'compassionate' breaching rules?
By Monika
Baker
In a recent radio interview on 5AN and a media release Minister Vanstone
stated that she introduced new, more compassionate breaching rules. And
yes, we have to say they are more compassionate as before. At least if
someone is willing to submit that he/she has a mental health problem (depression,
compulsive behaviour, schizophrenia, etc), cannot read and write, is drug
addicted and/or is homeless.
People who have been breached once will be called in to explain and to asses if they are at risk of further breaches. At this interview people have the opportunity to explain their circumstances and claim an exemption.
If you are on New Start Allowance, Youth Allowance and from July 2002 onwards on a Single Parent benefit, you may be eligible to be breached. If you have a disability which renders you at times unable to attend interviews, go out of the house or read and respond to your mail, let Centrelink know as soon as possible. If you have a mental health problem and are at times not fully able to attend to job search and Centrelink’s demands you should go to your GP and ask him to write a certificate, if you do not already have one. If you have not yet been diagnosed and put on medication, think carefully about any unintended consequences. Should you have any doubts, because you have children or want to build a business, call Disability Action on (08) 8346 8288. Those who can prove that they have reasons to be exempted will be referred to the Personal Support Program, the JPET or other suitable programs.
It is also possible to get an exemption from being breached in cases of temporary personal crisis such as separation, moving house, death in the family and severe crisis with children.
Otherwise everything remains the same. Although it was promised that people would be given the opportunity to explain why they had missed something and as long as their excuses are reasonable and acceptable the breach may be reversed.
On 14 March Minister Vanstone Spoke on 5AN in the morning show and explained that she had instructed Centrelink to implement more reasonable breaching rules and the results would be reflected in the number of breaches in the last six months of 2001. Anyone remembers what happened in June and July? And what went on in November?
In June
and July the Liberals’ prospect of winning the next election were
minimal. Breaching had been a topic during the whole of last year, however
it went quiet and drowned among September 11 and the refugee crisis. The
community saw other issues as more important although the issue of the
harsh penalties was repeatedly raised in Parliament and in community forums
during the time.
Lo and behold, breaching numbers went down because there were not as many
requests for assistance in regards to breaching as there had been before.
The Election came and went without a huge backlash around the issues of
breaching.
As soon
as the new year dawned the first requests for assistance in breaching
issues came in. This time people did not only present with third, but
with fourth and fifth breaches. That means people were condemned to live
without social security benefits for up to 24 weeks, nearly 6 months.
So where are these compassionate rules promised?
Minister Vanstone claimed she had already taken care of the recommendations coming from the Independant Breaching Inquiry’s report, almost a week before the report was released she released her new rules. Julian DIsney, co-author of the Inquiry, even suggested, she had stolen their recommendations.
Whatever happened, Minister Vanstone must have only looked at parts of the report. Those parts that are easy to digest such as putting a red stripe on the outside of the last warning letter before breach.
Red
stripe may joke some people’s memeory but it does not overcome the
inability to read and interpret Centrelinks complicated conditions.
However she forgot to introduce a four week holiday for job seekers. Four
weeks in which they do not need to look for a job. After all, in her radio
interview she compared the situation of the unemployed to those who work.
People who work cannot just miss work or be late, they get the sack! Well,
how would the Minister like her first breach for not responding to my
letter six months ago? 18% of her earnings for six months could be put
to good use. She has also refused to meet with several community services
organisations, such as Welfare Rights Centres. Second and third breaches
probably already apply in her case. Should we be lenient?
In another twist: The Productivity Commission has released its findings of an inquiry into the Job Network system Submissions are available on their web site, including our submission. We are relatively often quoted, usually to say we are wrong in our assertions.
The
reports makes some good recommendations and some are difficult to digest.
For example, they found that job matching was a waste of money, wo which
I personally agree and that the services currently used by job seekers,
such as the screens at Centrelink Offices, the use of computers, printers
and copiers at Centrelink Offices would be enough to get people into jobs.
Here comes the razor gang! Job search training, this utterly useless occupational
therapy instead they found was very productive. People rather found a
job than participating in this useless exercise. It therefore is very
efficient to deter bludgers. We will publish a more comprehensive review
in our next newsletters. Please let us know what you think.
Put 35 hour week on the agenda
By David Rigney I
sometimes wonder whether I’m living in the 21st century or in the
1950s. In the 50s the then Coalition Government lead by Sir Robert Menzies
reigned supreme. Community development and consultation was unheard of,
racism was institutionalised by the White Australia Policy and most people
were kept busy searching under their beds for the elusive Communist, the
enemy of all Australians and indeed the entire “free” world.
This tactic to vilify a section of the community, to dehumanise them,
to create fear within the community, kept the then Coalition Government
in power for over a decade. The most disturbing outcome of the Menzies
era was the lack of political leadership and ideals. This lack of political
leadership placed Australia twenty years behind the rest of the developed
world. Unions fought hard for industrial change, and change only occurred
after bloody confrontations. Identifying oneself as a union official or
an advocate for social change usually meant being imprisoned, branded
a Communist, or both.
So now in 2002 the Howard Coalition Government uses the same tactics of
vilification, fear and deceit to stay in power as did Menzies. The Menzies
Coalition Government would have found it relatively easy to control the
then political agenda, the Howard Coalition Government 50 years on is
finding it more difficult to silence the Australian Community.
Issues
that have an effect on both present and future generations of Australians
should be debated in all forums by the community, reason and common sense
will deliver fairness. These are all fundamental building blocks for Social
Justice.
It is widely known that capitalist economies need a percentage of the
work force unemployed so they can control labour costs, this in turn can
keep part of the community forever trapped in a poverty cycle. Currant
unemployment statistics show there are seven job seekers competing for
every available job vacancy. One does not need to be Albert Einstein to
work out that there is not enough full time employment created in Australia.
Employment creation strategies are both varied and numerous. The Coalition
however, believes all workers are paid too much and that this, of course,
is the Trade Unions fault. By lowering wages unemployment will decline,
and we know, so will workers standard of living. In a deregulated labour
market the only winners will be the company shareholders, most of whom
would not live in Australia.
Recently there has been a lot of multi national companies announcing larger
then expected profits, each CEO, while singing the praises of their management
skills, has stated this one simple sad fact: “we have delivered a
substantial increase in profits by severely downsizing our workforce and
at the same time we have substantially increased production therefore
we can manufacture more goods using less workers.”
This highlights the overall lack of social justice principles that should
be in place, multinational companies are driven by their bottom line to
deliver big profits to their share holders. This is totally unsustainable,
if more workers are made redundant, who is going to purchase their products?
In 2000 France introduced a 35 hour working week on a trial basis covering
over one third of private sector employees. This excluded roughly 72%
of the total workforce as the public sector has 20% of the workforce.
Industry bosses were alarmed at being forced to employ more labour and
threatened to move their businesses elsewhere. The French Government stood
firm and passed legislation bringing in the 35 hour week and capping overtime.
Currently France is moving all employees onto the 35 hour week and is
maintaining restrictions on working overtime. No French industry has moved
offshore, quite the opposite, initial start up costs have been offset
by increases in production. This increase in productivity has been attributed
to a more rested and happy workforce. More than 260,000 full time jobs
have been created during the past two year trial period (from only about
28% of Frances’ workforce on 35 hours), this is expected to climb
to around 500,000 as more workers move onto the 35 hour week this year.
Other European countries are closely monitoring the French trial with
Italy starting its own trial in January 2002. The 35 hour working week
is delivering social gains to the people of France, these gains should
not be discounted lightly. Nevertheless this shift from deregulation of
the Labour Market to regulation by enforcing Work Sharing was a bold move
for the French Government to take and must be applauded. But it also was
the cultivation of many years of activism, advocacy and community debate.
It is time that different philosophies are introduced into the Australian
unemployment debate, the philosophy of neo liberalism must be seen for
what it is, a strategy based on the principles of wealth creation and
greed, and oppression and exploitation of the poor and marginalised. This
system of profit delivery will always demand cheaper labour costs and
totally ignores all social justice principles, therefore reason, commonsense
and fairness cannot be found within it
New and creative solutions to unemployment need to be developed, the 35
hour working week has the potential to create thousands of full time jobs,
to raise the standard of living for many thousands of unemployed workers
and attack the poverty cycle.
The Un(der)employed People’s Movement against Poverty Inc. has set
up a web site dedicated to the 35 hour week and the restriction of overtime.
This site serves as a clearing house and source of reference to organisations
and individuals who want to support us in our campaign to bring the 35
hour week onto the industrial relations agenda. Any comments or research
material can be sent electronically to by e-mailing it to mobak@ozemail.com.au
We will post it on the web site.
The address of the 35 hour work week web site is: http://au.oocities.com/thirtyfivehours
Contents of
Up-Words Vol.3 No 3
Contents:
New compassionate breaching rules?
Put 35 hour week on the agenda
Take a look at this month's additions to the Sleuth
Click here to access our previous newsletters:
UpWords 1 No. 1:
What is BreachingUpWords 1 No. 2:
Young Poor under AttackUpWords 1 No. 3:
Frog Boiling;UpWords1 No. 4::
Welfare Reform;UpWords1 No. 5:
S11;UpWords1 No. 6:
History of Unemployed Movements,
HomelessnessUp-Words No. 7:
Launch of UPM/Latest Breaching StatisticsUpWords1 No 8:
Open Letter to Minister Amanda VanstoneUpWords2 No 1:
Millionaires' Coup for Govenrment
Centrelink Officiouisness hurts us allUpWords2 No 2:
Big Brother is watching you!
Work for the Dole is not workingUpWords2 No 3:
Globalisation - the Excessive Wealth Disease?UpWords2 No 4:
Is Howard a Communist?
Mal Brough, Minister for Compassionate Employment Figure FudgingUpWords2 No 5
Benefits 37% below poverty line
May Day protests worldwideUpWords2 No 6:
The Permanently Alienated Underclass Speaks UP!
The Budget for the Unemployed
Views from the Coal FaceUpWords 2 No 7
Criminalisation of Poverty
Job Network is not working - from rorts to incompetenceUpWords 2 No 8
Work for the Dole can kill!
National Coalition against Poverty Petition
Post card campaign
Poet's Corner:
Views on UnemploymentUpWords 2 No 9
UPM joins Ranks for Peace
International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty
Unemployed Treated Worse Than Criminals!UpWords 2 No 10
Election 2001: UPM's How to Vote Card
Annual General Meeting
How much longer?Up-Words Vol. 2 No 11
Not Drowning - Just Looking for Work
Election Aftermath: ALP Awake!
Human Rights Day Picnic
AGM
Up-Words Vol. 3 No 1
35 hour week or share Argentina's destiny?
Human Rights Day - do we count too?
State Election Issue
No 1: Jobs
My experiences with Job Network ProvidersInsert in this issue:
War against Terrorism - the Police State Agenda
can be found at:
http://www.newdawnmagazine. com/articles/War_on_Terror_ The_Police_State_Agenda.htmlUp-Words Vol. 3 No 2
Is it Australian to bully the unemployed?
Greens support the 35 hour week
Come
to our Meetings
on the last
Tuesday of the month,
5:30 – 7 pm
at the World's End
Hindley Street West, Adelaide.
Join
UPM against Poverty
as a member!
Copy
the membership form here!
PO
Box 485
Brooklyn Park SA 5032
Phone (08) 8352 4950
Have a look at our new campaign site:
