One in seven Australians living in poverty, according to new report

Date
    October 12, 2014


Poverty is increasing in Australia, with one in seven Australians living below the poverty line, according to a new report.

The Poverty in Australia report, to be released on Sunday by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), also shows one in six Australian children are living in poverty.      :(

The percentage of Australians and of Australian children living in poverty rose from 2010 to 2012.

The poverty line – defined as 50 per cent of median income – was $400 a week for a single adult and $841 for a couple with two children in 2012.


The report shows 13.9 per cent of Victorians live in poverty with those in non-metropolitan areas most likely to be below the poverty line.

In Melbourne 13.7 per cent of residents were in poverty compared to 15 per cent in Sydney, 13.9 per cent in Brisbane, 13.8 per cent in Hobart, 12.4 per cent in Perth and 11.5 per cent in Adelaide.

Single mother-of-three Vicky Vacondios, who receives Newstart payments and lives in public housing in Reservoir, said most of her income is spent on food, petrol and clothing for her children.

"People are very quick to judge," she said. "I didn't choose to be a single parent."

Ms Vacondios, a former gaming attendant, is trying to start her own business offering mentoring for women trying to escape homelessness and domestic violence.

"There is a lot of stress," she said. "People living in hardship can find it hard to go in to work or get out of bed. There are so many reports about jobs being lost, payments being cut."

The ACOSS report showed Tasmania had the highest poverty rate of any state at 15.1 per cent.

"These findings paint a disturbing picture that we as a community need to confront if we are to reverse the spreading disparity we are seeing on the ground in the daily lives of people across the country," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.

"It will take leadership from our elected representatives and governments who must ensure that addressing poverty is central to public policy making."

The research deducts housing costs such as rent and mortgage payments before calculating median income. This allows a comparison between households' ability to meet basic living costs other than housing.

The ACOSS report, based on analysis of Bureau of Statistics data on income and expenditure for 2011-12, comes days after the release of new figures showing families in outer-suburban, low-income seats were hardest hit by the Abbott government's May budget.      :(

Research by the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling found 15 of the 16 hardest hit electorates are Labor-held seats in Sydney and Melbourne.

Households in Calwell, on Melbourne's north-west fringe, will be $783 a year worse off compared to $249 in Kooyong.

St Vincent de Paul chief executive John Falzon said: "This report, rather than making us feel demoralised, should make us feel determined.

"Especially in the light of the lacerating measures proposed in the 2014 federal budget, this report is an important weapon in our fight for justice."

Thirty per cent of Australians who receive social security payments live below the poverty line, including 55 per cent of those on unemployment benefits. Fifteen per cent of aged pensioners live in poverty.      :(

Women are slightly more likely to live in poverty than men while single parents, people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are significantly more likely to live in poverty.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-in-seven-australians-living-in-poverty-according-to-new-report-20141011-114o1b.html#ixzz3FrhNWAPx

Crook, as wages increase, the poverty line also increases.
There is no doubt the poor today have a much higher standard of living , better healthcare, better education, better housing, better public transport than 30 years ago.
The sad emoticons do nothing to help the poor.
The pessimistic view of the world that these sort of articles endorse are very destructive,
We need to focus on the marvellous opportunities out there.
Cultural malaise, lethargy, jealousy, envy and a sense of "giving up" are the result of your thinking.
Watch some shows on inspirational people.
There's a blind guy in brisbane who is trying to break the world record speed on 230 kph down the straight, on his own , on a motorcycle.
He's not worried about the poverty line and his disability is much greater then most of those who live below it

my son has a friend hes 47 has a daughter who lives up in QLd with her mother thankfully.. because he doesnt support her...he is a carpenter by trade..has one relationship after another all about him living with her..when shes had enough he gets thrown out and then lives on the floors of his mates sort of like revolving floors..he offers to do odd jobs around the place but never offers money...this has been his life since forever...he leaves bundles of things all over the place.. anywhere he can for years before he reclaims it..he is now almost unemployable thanks to his drinking and his belligerent attitude which is getting worse....he is  on centrelink..


this person is homeless...but whos fault is it???....my son and his partner have stood by him for more than 20 years..[ me too in my way].but enough is enough....he is now threatening to kill himself..he is impossible to talk too as everyone is wrong and only he is right...and he shouts over you so he isnt listening anyway....

I am prepared to help someone if they meet me half way... but how do you help some people??????

I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction..but he doesnt want the right help...

like a lot of people..

aquascoot wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:57am:

Crook, as wages increase, the poverty line also increases. There is no doubt the poor today have a much higher standard of living , better healthcare, better education, better housing, better public transport than 30 years ago.

Why are you trolling with this clueless horseshit?


Quote:

The sad emoticons do nothing to help the poor.

How much did you donate to charity in the past year?


Quote:

The pessimistic view of the world that these sort of articles endorse are very destructive,

It's only destructive to the sheltered conservative mindset and the chances of conservatives winning future elections. Everyone else will want more to be done.

New Report - Poverty Is Increasing In Australia

Ah well the adults are in charge!

cods wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

my son has a friend hes 47 has a daughter who lives up in QLd with her mother thankfully.. because he doesnt support her...he is a carpenter by trade..has one relationship after another all about him living with her..when shes had enough he gets thrown out and then lives on the floors of his mates sort of like revolving floors..he offers to do odd jobs around the place but never offers money...this has been his life since forever...he leaves bundles of things all over the place.. anywhere he can for years before he reclaims it..he is now almost unemployable thanks to his drinking and his belligerent attitude which is getting worse....he is  on centrelink.. this person is homeless...but whos fault is it???....my son and his partner have stood by him for more than 20 years..[ me too in my way].but enough is enough....he is now threatening to kill himself..he is impossible to talk too as everyone is wrong and only he is right...and he shouts over you so he isnt listening anyway.... I am prepared to help someone if they meet me half way... but how do you help some people?????? I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction..but he doesnt want the right help... like a lot of people..

He likely has a mental illness of some kind, possibly undiagnosed. So the right help is getting him support and treatment if he needs it.

If he's talking suicide, act now before it's too late. You don't want to have the rest of your lives to be tainted by the memory of someone committing suicide with clear warnings beforehand, and yet you did nothing while you still could.

Bam wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:55am:

cods wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 6:10am: my son has a friend hes 47 has a daughter who lives up in QLd with her mother thankfully.. because he doesnt support her...he is a carpenter by trade..has one relationship after another all about him living with her..when shes had enough he gets thrown out and then lives on the floors of his mates sort of like revolving floors..he offers to do odd jobs around the place but never offers money...this has been his life since forever...he leaves bundles of things all over the place.. anywhere he can for years before he reclaims it..he is now almost unemployable thanks to his drinking and his belligerent attitude which is getting worse....he is  on centrelink.. this person is homeless...but whos fault is it???....my son and his partner have stood by him for more than 20 years..[ me too in my way].but enough is enough....he is now threatening to kill himself..he is impossible to talk too as everyone is wrong and only he is right...and he shouts over you so he isnt listening anyway.... I am prepared to help someone if they meet me half way... but how do you help some people?????? I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction..but he doesnt want the right help... like a lot of people.. He likely has a mental illness of some kind, possibly undiagnosed. So the right help is getting him support and treatment if he needs it. If he's talking suicide, act now before it's too late. You don't want to have the rest of your lives to be tainted by the memory of someone committing suicide with clear warnings beforehand, and yet you did nothing while you still could.

HOW

maybe you didnt read the whole thing..

he wont listen... he wont talk about anything we all have to listen to him..he knows best....hes 47

he has two parents...

what would you do.. knock him out and carry him off and have him signed in????..

what do you know what I have done and more so what my son and his partner have done for 20 odd years...just what would you know?????????...

if this person did commit suicide... which I doubt very much...but.... if he did I will not have a conscience I can assure you... we have bent over backwards for this guy but all the promises he makes never eventuate...he wont accept help?? we have offered to go to AA and seek counselling for him...he refuses...so what would you do??..

they say you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink..

this person is very typical of that..

With decades of downward pressure on wage results especially for the lowest incomes and topics like ADF offered below inflation increase being more and more common exactly what can anyone expect.

With wage restraint pushed solely at the bottom end each bout produces more people going towards the poverty bracket.

cods wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

my son has a friend hes 47 has a daughter who lives up in QLd with her mother thankfully.. because he doesnt support her...he is a carpenter by trade..has one relationship after another all about him living with her..when shes had enough he gets thrown out and then lives on the floors of his mates sort of like revolving floors..he offers to do odd jobs around the place but never offers money...this has been his life since forever...he leaves bundles of things all over the place.. anywhere he can for years before he reclaims it..he is now almost unemployable thanks to his drinking and his belligerent attitude which is getting worse....he is  on centrelink.. this person is homeless...but whos fault is it???....my son and his partner have stood by him for more than 20 years..[ me too in my way].but enough is enough....he is now threatening to kill himself..he is impossible to talk too as everyone is wrong and only he is right...and he shouts over you so he isnt listening anyway.... I am prepared to help someone if they meet me half way... but how do you help some people?????? I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction..but he doesnt want the right help... like a lot of people..

Sad situation Cods - good luck.

I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction

It is probably both - his self destructive attitudes have put him into poverty.  The result is poverty but he is a big part of the cause. There are a lot of sad stories.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:18am:

One in seven Australians living in poverty, according to new report Date     October 12, 2014 Poverty is increasing in Australia, with one in seven Australians living below the poverty line, according to a new report. The Poverty in Australia report, to be released on Sunday by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), also shows one in six Australian children are living in poverty.      :( The percentage of Australians and of Australian children living in poverty rose from 2010 to 2012. The poverty line – defined as 50 per cent of median income – was $400 a week for a single adult and $841 for a couple with two children in 2012. The report shows 13.9 per cent of Victorians live in poverty with those in non-metropolitan areas most likely to be below the poverty line. In Melbourne 13.7 per cent of residents were in poverty compared to 15 per cent in Sydney, 13.9 per cent in Brisbane, 13.8 per cent in Hobart, 12.4 per cent in Perth and 11.5 per cent in Adelaide. Single mother-of-three Vicky Vacondios, who receives Newstart payments and lives in public housing in Reservoir, said most of her income is spent on food, petrol and clothing for her children. "People are very quick to judge," she said. "I didn't choose to be a single parent." Ms Vacondios, a former gaming attendant, is trying to start her own business offering mentoring for women trying to escape homelessness and domestic violence. "There is a lot of stress," she said. "People living in hardship can find it hard to go in to work or get out of bed. There are so many reports about jobs being lost, payments being cut." The ACOSS report showed Tasmania had the highest poverty rate of any state at 15.1 per cent. "These findings paint a disturbing picture that we as a community need to confront if we are to reverse the spreading disparity we are seeing on the ground in the daily lives of people across the country," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said. "It will take leadership from our elected representatives and governments who must ensure that addressing poverty is central to public policy making." The research deducts housing costs such as rent and mortgage payments before calculating median income. This allows a comparison between households' ability to meet basic living costs other than housing. The ACOSS report, based on analysis of Bureau of Statistics data on income and expenditure for 2011-12, comes days after the release of new figures showing families in outer-suburban, low-income seats were hardest hit by the Abbott government's May budget.      :( Research by the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling found 15 of the 16 hardest hit electorates are Labor-held seats in Sydney and Melbourne. Households in Calwell, on Melbourne's north-west fringe, will be $783 a year worse off compared to $249 in Kooyong. St Vincent de Paul chief executive John Falzon said: "This report, rather than making us feel demoralised, should make us feel determined. "Especially in the light of the lacerating measures proposed in the 2014 federal budget, this report is an important weapon in our fight for justice." Thirty per cent of Australians who receive social security payments live below the poverty line, including 55 per cent of those on unemployment benefits. Fifteen per cent of aged pensioners live in poverty.      :( Women are slightly more likely to live in poverty than men while single parents, people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are significantly more likely to live in poverty. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-in-seven-australians-living-in-poverty-according-to-new-report-20141011-114o1b.html#ixzz3FrhNWAPx

How much is Goldie getting paid for being CEO of ACOSS? Maybe she is part of the problem.
Poverty is only relative; although when someone has problems for keeping a car running, mostly necessary to earn a living, the person feels the poverty, while others are driving Toorak tractors.
The politicians wages have been increasing at the rate of 6% per annum, and none of them is complaining, be it Labour, greens or independents.

Former independent MP Ted Mack. Photo: Rick Stevens
Australia's major political parties have become like two mafia families seeking control of the public purse for distribution to themselves, supporters, the special interests who fund them and for buying votes at the next election, former independent MP Ted Mack says.
And their salaries and perks have risen in inverse proportion to the levels of public satisfaction.
''Recent increases bring the basic salary of the Prime Minister to $507,000, compared to the American President at $US400,000 [$417,000], and the English Prime Minister at £142,000 [$240,000],'' Mr Mack said delivering the Henry Parkes Oration on ''The State of Federation'' at the Sir Henry Parkes Memorial School of Arts, Tenterfield, on Saturday.
''Salary packages for MPs have escalated at federal level with the steady creation of new positions and extensions of fringe benefits … state governments have followed suit.''

cods wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 8:14am:

Bam wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:55am: cods wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 6:10am: my son has a friend hes 47 has a daughter who lives up in QLd with her mother thankfully.. because he doesnt support her...he is a carpenter by trade..has one relationship after another all about him living with her..when shes had enough he gets thrown out and then lives on the floors of his mates sort of like revolving floors..he offers to do odd jobs around the place but never offers money...this has been his life since forever...he leaves bundles of things all over the place.. anywhere he can for years before he reclaims it..he is now almost unemployable thanks to his drinking and his belligerent attitude which is getting worse....he is  on centrelink.. this person is homeless...but whos fault is it???....my son and his partner have stood by him for more than 20 years..[ me too in my way].but enough is enough....he is now threatening to kill himself..he is impossible to talk too as everyone is wrong and only he is right...and he shouts over you so he isnt listening anyway.... I am prepared to help someone if they meet me half way... but how do you help some people?????? I dont know if you call this poverty... I dont I call it self destruction..but he doesnt want the right help... like a lot of people.. He likely has a mental illness of some kind, possibly undiagnosed. So the right help is getting him support and treatment if he needs it. If he's talking suicide, act now before it's too late. You don't want to have the rest of your lives to be tainted by the memory of someone committing suicide with clear warnings beforehand, and yet you did nothing while you still could. HOW maybe you didnt read the whole thing.. he wont listen... he wont talk about anything we all have to listen to him..he knows best....hes 47 he has two parents... what would you do.. knock him out and carry him off and have him signed in????.. what do you know what I have done and more so what my son and his partner have done for 20 odd years...just what would you know?????????... if this person did commit suicide... which I doubt very much...but.... if he did I will not have a conscience I can assure you... we have bent over backwards for this guy but all the promises he makes never eventuate...he wont accept help?? we have offered to go to AA and seek counselling for him...he refuses...so what would you do??.. they say you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.. this person is very typical of that..

Part of the problem with mental illness is sometimes it is difficult to convince the sufferer that they have a problem and need to seek treatment. For their friends and family, it can sometimes be too much to deal with. There are organisations that may be able to help.

Absolute nonsense again.

Lordy, you people are so goddamn naive.

If people choose to be on the dole rather than on a wage, then of course there's going to be borderline cases of poverty if a rent has to be paid.

But it need not be so.

You simply register with a Casual Work agency and go where they send you for a little work here and there.

Next 1st July 2015 is the official launching of Abbott's Anti-Dole Bludgers Day.

It's when legions of our work-shy will receive letters from their local Centrelink to go in for an appointment with their Jobs Managers (who will all be armed with 'Government Issue' baseball bats).

Half the people on the main shopping street in my suburb will disappear overnight. Dozens of them. The clever ones will declare themselves to be of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, and disappear to Tasmania or Rockhampton.

But the rest of them will soon be handcuffed to a City Council shovel and put to work.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:18am:

Single mother-of-three Vicky Vacondios, who receives Newstart payments and lives in public housing in Reservoir, said most of her income is spent on food, petrol and clothing for her children. "People are very quick to judge," she said. "I didn't choose to be a single parent."

What utter nonsense.

She had any amount of time to choose a suitable partner who would be supportive and an asset to the home ~ especially as nowadays there's no stigma attached to slutting around like a bitch on heat with a whole series of boyfriends.

And straight off she starts dropping babies to this fellow, when MOST women and their partners hold out for a few years until they can afford a mortgage on a First Home.

She walked herself right into this Single Mother situation like she was following a Street Directory.

No sympathy from me at all.

aquascoot wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:57am:

There is no doubt the poor today have a much higher standard of living , better healthcare, better education, better housing, better public transport than 30 years ago.

Correct.

For years I've noticed the chronic dole-bludgers are never without their cigarettes and cartons of booze, and are the ones lining up at the taxi rank instead of waiting for the bus like the rest of us.

They don't even have to work for their many privileges.

No wonder the ethnicities that are famously lazy have been getting onto leaky boats to get to our shores.

But starting 1/7/15 next year ... their world is going to be turned upside down.

And I hope Abbott gets active with putting a stop to this Single Mothers racket.

There are unemployed people out there, right now, that make 100 or more job applications every month. Yet they get nowhere. Why? Employers won't give them a go because the well of jobs has been poisoned. Clueless rightwing filth repeat parroted hate speech, incite hatred, spread misinformation and tell lies just because their views are based on dated misconceptions about the labour market that have not been current for 40 years.

The only reason why rightwingers can still get away with it is because it's not yet illegal to spread hate speech against the unemployed - who as a cohort do not enjoy the same protection of the law as homosexuals, foreigners, women, religious people of various faiths and other groups covered by various anti-discrimination legislation.

It is time this was changed.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:18am:

One in seven Australians living in poverty, according to new report Date     October 12, 2014 Poverty is increasing in Australia, with one in seven Australians living below the poverty line, according to a new report. The Poverty in Australia report, to be released on Sunday by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), also shows one in six Australian children are living in poverty.      :( The percentage of Australians and of Australian children living in poverty rose from 2010 to 2012. The poverty line – defined as 50 per cent of median income – was $400 a week for a single adult and $841 for a couple with two children in 2012. The report shows 13.9 per cent of Victorians live in poverty with those in non-metropolitan areas most likely to be below the poverty line. In Melbourne 13.7 per cent of residents were in poverty compared to 15 per cent in Sydney, 13.9 per cent in Brisbane, 13.8 per cent in Hobart, 12.4 per cent in Perth and 11.5 per cent in Adelaide. Single mother-of-three Vicky Vacondios, who receives Newstart payments and lives in public housing in Reservoir, said most of her income is spent on food, petrol and clothing for her children. "People are very quick to judge," she said. "I didn't choose to be a single parent." Ms Vacondios, a former gaming attendant, is trying to start her own business offering mentoring for women trying to escape homelessness and domestic violence. "There is a lot of stress," she said. "People living in hardship can find it hard to go in to work or get out of bed. There are so many reports about jobs being lost, payments being cut." The ACOSS report showed Tasmania had the highest poverty rate of any state at 15.1 per cent. "These findings paint a disturbing picture that we as a community need to confront if we are to reverse the spreading disparity we are seeing on the ground in the daily lives of people across the country," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said. "It will take leadership from our elected representatives and governments who must ensure that addressing poverty is central to public policy making." The research deducts housing costs such as rent and mortgage payments before calculating median income. This allows a comparison between households' ability to meet basic living costs other than housing. The ACOSS report, based on analysis of Bureau of Statistics data on income and expenditure for 2011-12, comes days after the release of new figures showing families in outer-suburban, low-income seats were hardest hit by the Abbott government's May budget.      :( Research by the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling found 15 of the 16 hardest hit electorates are Labor-held seats in Sydney and Melbourne. Households in Calwell, on Melbourne's north-west fringe, will be $783 a year worse off compared to $249 in Kooyong. St Vincent de Paul chief executive John Falzon said: "This report, rather than making us feel demoralised, should make us feel determined. "Especially in the light of the lacerating measures proposed in the 2014 federal budget, this report is an important weapon in our fight for justice." Thirty per cent of Australians who receive social security payments live below the poverty line, including 55 per cent of those on unemployment benefits. Fifteen per cent of aged pensioners live in poverty.      :( Women are slightly more likely to live in poverty than men while single parents, people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are significantly more likely to live in poverty. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-in-seven-australians-living-in-poverty-according-to-new-report-20141011-114o1b.html#ixzz3FrhNWAPx

the clue is in the highlighted.  when poverty is defined in RELATIVE terms then it is impossible to get rid of it or even reduce it.  We could triple the incomes of everyone in Australia and there would still bet he same number of people below this artificial 'poverty line'.

When poverty means that you can only have one care and your kids have to have second-hand iphones, ipads, computers and video games, the term has lost its meaning.

longweekend58 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:35pm:

the clue is in the highlighted.  when poverty is defined in RELATIVE terms then it is impossible to get rid of it or even reduce it.  We could triple the incomes of everyone in Australia and there would still bet he same number of people below this artificial 'poverty line'. When poverty means that you can only have one care and your kids have to have second-hand iphones, ipads, computers and video games, the term has lost its meaning.

;D

You've nailed it.

Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time.

I don't blame them for wanting to stay at their parent's place on the dole and playing with their computers ~ but don't lie about it.

The merit of the Work for the Dole scheme lies in one fact and one fact alone: It forces these work-shy homebodies to get away from their computers and their bongs all day long, all week long.

And what this means is that they soon realise that if they are being forced to leave home everyday, then they may as well get a real job that pays real money.

I have a kid living opposite me with his 'Single Mother'. Really nice young fellow. Polite and well behaved ... but as long as he can live the life of Riley at home with his computer and his mother doing his laundry for him ~ he's simply not motivated to enter the workforce.

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:10pm:

The merit of the Work for the Dole scheme lies in one fact and one fact alone: It forces these work-shy homebodies to get away from their computers and their bongs all day long, all week long.

Except it doesn't improve job prospects, takes time away from job seeking, provides no real life skills useful to employment and costs taxpayers money.

Apart from that its great!

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:10pm:

Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time.

Herby advocating violence now.

It'll be interesting to see how low he can actually go.

I blame all that talk-back radio.

Stratos wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:13pm:

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:10pm: The merit of the Work for the Dole scheme lies in one fact and one fact alone: It forces these work-shy homebodies to get away from their computers and their bongs all day long, all week long. Except it doesn't improve job prospects, takes time away from job seeking, provides no real life skills useful to employment and costs taxpayers money. Apart from that its great!

It improves motivation to accept the jobs being offered you by Centrelink and the Job Agencies. If you're forced to be away from the comforts and entertainments at home, then you may just as well go whole-hog and get a proper job.

Starting next 1/7/15 we're going to see a whole new shift in the unemployment statistics. They'll be sacking more Centrelink staff because of lack of 'clients' needing their services.

And needless to say, Sydney's southwest Muslim ghetto will probably be in lock-down and needing the Riot Squads on the streets to control irate crowds of Mohammedans protesting about Work for the Dole being 'racist' and 'Islamophobic'.

Just watch this space.

***************

How's the cat, Stratos? Well, I hope?  :)

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:16pm:

Herby advocating violence now. It'll be interesting to see how low he can actually go. I blame all that talk-back radio.

;D

If I ever need a butler or a chauffeur I'll give you a call. You dog my every step on this forum bored.

It's like dragging around a dead cat.  :P

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:26pm:

How's the cat, Stratos? Well, I hope?

Very good.  No longer technically a kitten :)


Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:26pm:

If you're forced to be away from the comforts and entertainments at home, then you may just as well go whole-hog and get a proper job.

You know, I have yet to speak to anyone ever who thinks newstart is better than having a  real job.  Not a single person.  Try to do a budget for $257 a week.

Ok, go.

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:29pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:16pm: Herby advocating violence now. It'll be interesting to see how low he can actually go. I blame all that talk-back radio. ;D If I ever need a butler or a chauffeur I'll give you a call. You dog my every step on this forum bored. It's like dragging around a dead cat.  :P

I noticed that you didn't address the violence, which you seem to love so much.

I'm onto you, Herby.

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:35pm:

I noticed that you didn't address the violence, which you seem to love so much. I'm onto you, Herby.

Larry.  8-)

Bam wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 2:42pm:

There are unemployed people out there, right now, that make 100 or more job applications every month. Yet they get nowhere. Why? Employers won't give them a go because the well of jobs has been poisoned. Clueless rightwing filth repeat parroted hate speech, incite hatred, spread misinformation and tell lies just because their views are based on dated misconceptions about the labour market that have not been current for 40 years. The only reason why rightwingers can still get away with it is because it's not yet illegal to spread hate speech against the unemployed - who as a cohort do not enjoy the same protection of the law as homosexuals, foreigners, women, religious people of various faiths and other groups covered by various anti-discrimination legislation. It is time this was changed.

Well said, Bam, and I couldn't agree more.

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:10pm:

longweekend58 wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 5:35pm: the clue is in the highlighted.  when poverty is defined in RELATIVE terms then it is impossible to get rid of it or even reduce it.  We could triple the incomes of everyone in Australia and there would still bet he same number of people below this artificial 'poverty line'. When poverty means that you can only have one care and your kids have to have second-hand iphones, ipads, computers and video games, the term has lost its meaning. ;D You've nailed it. Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time. I don't blame them for wanting to stay at their parent's place on the dole and playing with their computers ~ but don't lie about it. The merit of the Work for the Dole scheme lies in one fact and one fact alone: It forces these work-shy homebodies to get away from their computers and their bongs all day long, all week long. And what this means is that they soon realise that if they are being forced to leave home everyday, then they may as well get a real job that pays real money. I have a kid living opposite me with his 'Single Mother'. Really nice young fellow. Polite and well behaved ... but as long as he can live the life of Riley at home with his computer and his mother doing his laundry for him ~ he's simply not motivated to enter the workforce.

Geez, you post some utter poppycock at times, Herb.

This is one of them...  :(

The number of available jobs has dropped, the number of those looking has risen.

What WILL it take till this 'work-shy bludger' bullsh1t is finally laid to rest as it plainly should?

Bam is correct, the unemployed should have the same legal protection from that sort of vilification as any other group.

Kat wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 9:30pm:

The number of available jobs has dropped, the number of those looking has risen. What WILL it take till this 'work-shy bludger' bullsh1t is finally laid to rest as it plainly should?

When statistics are gathered and publicised that show how many of the "advertised" vacancies are actually filled by an unemployed person rather than a job swapper. The number is nowhere near as great as the number of vacancies.

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:26pm:

It improves motivation to accept the jobs being offered you by Centrelink and the Job Agencies.

This is where you show your complete ignorance on the topic under discussion.

Centrelink don't offer jobs. That's not their role!

longweekend58 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 5:35pm:

Quote: The poverty line – defined as 50 per cent of median income – was $400 a week for a single adult and $841 for a couple with two children in 2012. the clue is in the highlighted.  when poverty is defined in RELATIVE terms then it is impossible to get rid of it or even reduce it.  We could triple the incomes of everyone in Australia and there would still bet he same number of people below this artificial 'poverty line'. When poverty means that you can only have one care and your kids have to have second-hand iphones, ipads, computers and video games, the term has lost its meaning.

You raise an interesting point here that merits further discussion.

I'm broadly in agreement that assessing the poverty line as a fixed percentage of median incomes is inaccurate.

I think a fairer measure of the poverty line would be to create a basket of various basic goods, services and utilities that everyone needs, compute a weekly cost, add it up and make that the poverty line. It would include food, water, clothing, rent, electricity, gas, communications, transport, healthcare, toiletries and other basic necessities. It would be similar to the CPI but be weighted more towards the basics, exclude luxuries and be more flexible as needs change.

I suspect though that if one were to do that, the figure would be not too far removed from $400 per week anyway.

The CPI is inaccurate for low-income earners because it includes all manner of things that low income earners cannot afford that tend to come down in price over time - eg: electronics - while underweighting basic expenses that are increasing more rapidly, such as housing and healthcare. This is why the purchasing power of the dole has declined over time.

So according to the report.. i'm living in poverty..yet i have an xbox, over 60 steam game, furniture lest than 3 years old, a 60inch TV, mobile phone, internet and plenty of food with enough to pay my bills

and when i was living with a roommate again according to the report we were living in poverty and again we were living a standard less than 60% of the worlds population will ever achieve

(The ACOSS report showed Tasmania had the highest poverty rate of any state at 15.1 per cent, after 16 years of Labor and the greens you would expect such results)

haha if this is poverty then we don't have to worry about poverty.

I think people need to stop being so selfish, be grateful for what you have, just because your not making thousands a year doesnt mean your in poverty, maybe instead of buying that playstation or those cans of beer, you should pay your bills.

No Australia doesnt have a problem with poverty, we do have needed and those who actully live in poverty and do need help but 90% of Australia dont actually live in poverty, if your a single adult for example earning $400 a week.. then bugger off, i'm earning less that that and yet i'm living like a king, stop expecting to live like a king, and start being realistic with what you can afford and what you cant.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-in-seven-australians-living-in-poverty-according-to-new-report-20141011-114o1b.html


FYI: Ive already made a thread about this report so ill just repost my OP post here.
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1413104481

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:16pm:

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:10pm: Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time. Herby advocating violence now.

Now be fair.

I did say a padded Interview Room so his screams can't be heard he won't hurt himself as he goes ricocheting around the walls ...

Stratos wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:33pm:

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:26pm: How's the cat, Stratos? Well, I hope? Very good.  No longer technically a kitten :)

Great!

Sooty decided to share my afternoon siesta yesterday.


Stratos wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 7:33pm:

You know, I have yet to speak to anyone ever who thinks newstart is better than having a  real job.  Not a single person.  Try to do a budget for $257 a week.

Fair enough, but no one wants to admit to being partial to life on the dole. The young ones today have a bedroom packed with electronic goodies to listen to and play with all day long while mum prepares the meals and collects the dirty laundry.

Mobile phones, CDs, iPads, digital TV, DVDs, unemployed friends to visit, bong parties, rock concerts, 'easy' girls to shag, surfing, etc etc...

Today it's a thousand times more difficult to get motivated to leave the family home for a working life than it was for me in the late 50's when there was virtually nothing to do at home ... (no 'easy' girls to shag. They all had principles in those days).

My first job meant getting up to an alarm clock at 5:00am on freezing cold black mornings with the icy sleet ratta-tatting against the window pane, and then getting into my leathers for the motorbike run into town from the countryside along roads that were thick with icy mush. Couldn't bend your fingers by the time you got there, and ears in danger of frost bite.

I hated that first day, and every following day of my entire working life.

********

'Sooty' .. otherwise known as ... 'Fat Boy'

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/ruffdiamond/January%202013/012_zpsd32de234.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/ruffdiamond/January%202013/024_zps51da7569.jpg

What a nice pussy - he looks so happy.  :)

Bobby. wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 5:59am:

What a nice pussy - he looks so happy.  :)

There's quite a story to him ~ but I don't know the half of it. He's a mystery. Came into my backyard half-starving and very traumatised. A nervous wreck. Petrified of humans. It took me and my other two an entire week to entice him out from under the house. That's an all-time rcord. It usually takes no more than a day.

Every morning after he's had breakfast he jumps up on the table and butts head with me to acknowledge I'm the Top Cat here and he's my grateful subordinate.

He's Boss Cat in this street. As good as he is to my two cats, he's a 'Worst Nightmare' to the other moggies up and down the street. They keep their distance now. Strong as a pitbull and with canines like a Taipan's fangs.

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 6:08am:

Bobby. wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 5:59am: What a nice pussy - he looks so happy.  :) There's quite a story to him ~ but I don't know the half of it. He's a mystery. Came into my backyard half-starving and very traumatised. A nervous wreck. Petrified of humans. It took me and my other two an entire week to entice him out from under the house. That's an all-time rcord. It usually takes no more than a day. Every morning after he's had breakfast he jumps up on the table and butts head with me to acknowledge I'm the Top Cat here and he's my grateful subordinate.

That's a nice story but the pussy is not allowed on your bed.

What did people expect under the Abbott Austerity Program?

I predicted it:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1372809408

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:41am:

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:16pm: Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:10pm: Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time. Herby advocating violence now. Now be fair. I did say a padded Interview Room so his screams can't be heard he won't hurt himself as he goes ricocheting around the walls ...

You're advocating violence against vulnerable people. You should be in jail.

Bam wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 7:27am:

Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 4:41am: greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:16pm: Lord Herbert wrote on Oct 12th, 2014 at 7:10pm: Just put these so-called 'Can't find a job liars' in a padded Interview Room with me and a friendly baseball bat and I'll have them confessing to bullshitting the employment agencies in no time. Herby advocating violence now. Now be fair. I did say a padded Interview Room so his screams can't be heard he won't hurt himself as he goes ricocheting around the walls ... You're advocating violence against vulnerable people. You should be in jail.

'Vulnerable people' ~ my arse.

I once overheard and witnessed a Job Seeker staff member put down the phone after talking to a 'client' who had phoned to say he couldn't come in for some reason, then say:

"Get a job you lying bastard!"

Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :)

gone wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 3:37pm:

Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :)

A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful.

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 3:44pm:

gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful.

And yet again you parrot the false and totally discredited stereotype of someone who's unemployed.

When will you lot ever learn?

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 3:44pm:

gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful.

You will see. It's only matter of time.  ;)

Kat wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:07pm:

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:44pm: gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful. And yet again you parrot the false and totally discredited stereotype of someone who's unemployed. When will you lot ever learn?

I live unfortunately next to shorewell, which majority of those living there are on the dole, and trust me....its not a stereotype, Not everyone on the dole however are like the stereotype but the majority are.

These people dominate Tasmania and are the largest Labor supports complaining they need more money because they cant afford smokes or new car parts. there is a culture of not working here in Tasmania and with Labor supporting it, Tasmania has became as bad economically as Greece.

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 3:44pm:

gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful.

Yep just wave one of these around and they'll run a mile... ;D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/timbo2530/c80331a5-642b-4081-9549-ff436afe939d.jpg

gone wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:10pm:

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:44pm: gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful. You will see. It's only matter of time.  ;)

You do realise 12% of Australians will reach the 1%, 39% of Australians will reach the top 5%, 56% of Australians will reach the top 10%, 73% of Australians will reach the top 20%, Many have left unions and now deal with employers independently, The only poeple who are being left behind are those on the dole and im earning less than the dole and im able to live a very comfortable life with all the food, water i need, a great union, new Car and expensive TV and furniture.

If Centrelink was shut, most Australians will continue living a life many outside of Australia will never imagine, with the money saved educations and heath can almost double their budgets. Those lose the dole will find drop, or they will create businesses as they use too before the 1970s.

there will only be a small minority of people like you, bitter selfish prefer to steal from hard working workers rather than work hard yourself.

Swagman wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:16pm:

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:44pm: gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful. Yep just wave one of these around and they'll run a mile... ;D http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/timbo2530/c80331a5-642b-4081-9549-ff436afe939d.jpg

You figured out yet who you're going to hire to be your private security 24/7 to protect your house while you're 'at work' once your beloved government forces every unemployed person onto the streets?  ;D Did you calculate how much this is going to cost you?  ;D A hungry mob of oppressed peasants ain't fun, I can guarantee you that... ;D ;D ;D

gone wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

Swagman wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 4:16pm: Pantheon wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:44pm: gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful. Yep just wave one of these around and they'll run a mile... ;D http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/timbo2530/c80331a5-642b-4081-9549-ff436afe939d.jpg You figured out yet who you're going to hire to be your private security 24/7 to protect your house while you're 'at work' once your beloved government forces every unemployed person onto the streets?  ;D Did you calculate how much this is going to cost you?  ;D A hungry mob of oppressed peasants ain't fun, I can guarantee you that... ;D ;D ;D

So your saying those on the dole would rather start a revolution to regain their free money rather than get off the couch and find a job or created a business?

If that true these people are very selfish and unproductive, a massive drain on society, and even if we keep the currently system would refuse to work.. how does poeple like this improved and contribute to our society?

gone wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

A hungry mob of oppressed peasants ain't fun, I can guarantee you that...

...you work at Centrelink do you?  :D ;D

gone wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:31pm:

A hungry mob of oppressed peasants ain't fun, I can guarantee you that...

hungry mob? well next time, maybe they should not buy smokes and alcohol and instead feed themselves and their children and they wouldn't be hungry and for oppressed peasant? Workers were far more oppressed in China OR Socialist Russia than in Australia.

Haha I nearly cried with laughter when I saw the OP. Really poor people in Australia only have $100 p/w over from paying rent.

That'll show those miserly Africans who's poor.

Pantheon wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 4:13pm:

Kat wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 4:07pm: Pantheon wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:44pm: gone wrote on Oct 13th, 2014 at 3:37pm: Close down Centrelink today and you will have a full scale people's revolution within a few weeks.  :)  I support it.  :) A revolution of drunken, dung addicted, over-weight, violent Australian with no intrest in working? yeah i'm sure that  revolution will be successful. And yet again you parrot the false and totally discredited stereotype of someone who's unemployed. When will you lot ever learn? I live unfortunately next to shorewell, which majority of those living there are on the dole, and trust me....its not a stereotype, Not everyone on the dole however are like the stereotype but the majority are. These people dominate Tasmania and are the largest Labor supports complaining they need more money because they cant afford smokes or new car parts. there is a culture of not working here in Tasmania and with Labor supporting it, Tasmania has became as bad economically as Greece.

It's all because of the Abbott Austerity Program:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1372809408/255#259

MumboJumbo wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 5:36pm:

Haha I nearly cried with laughter when I saw the OP. Really poor people in Australia only have $100 p/w over from paying rent. That'll show those miserly Africans who's poor.

It shows those selfish, tightarse Australian right wingers who's rich!