bogarde73 wrote on Jun 16
th, 2011 at 3:29pm:
This however may be a bit of a tirade phil.
It is 2011 in Australia . . .the Age of Gillard and, according to some, the eve of the Second Coming of St Kevin of the Cross.
Not that by the above references I imply that I hold these people particularly responsible for what I will discuss, but the fact remains they had a golden opportunity and they blew it.
This sort of stuff has been all over the news today because a few high profile business people are doing a celebrity sleepover.
"Studies show the average age for Australia's 104,000 homeless is in the mid-30s, with family breakdown the No.1 reason for taking to the streets. Nearly half are women, one in five are aged 12-18 and more than 40 per cent are couples - many with children in tow.
Homeless services providers have also noticed an increase in the amount of families sleeping rough because of the lack of suitable emergency shelter.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 82 per cent of families in need of immediate accommodation are turned away each day, while 45 per cent of individuals seeking a bed are shown the door."
Can you imagine the distress, hopelessness, long-term damage to children, never mind the parents, as this situation inevitably gets worse.
Now I ask you, when how many millions, or is it billions have been poured out in foreign aid, in grovelling to the UN in the care of so-called asylum seekers, in over-priced and hardly essential school halls, in over-priced, lethal and ultimately futile home insulation . . .in all this WASTE, could there not have been a few billion found to provide housing - caravans even - for our own shattered souls?
This is what I mean about the golden opportunity blown. But we are all responsible in not demanding of all governments down the years that this be addressed. We are responsible when we whinge that they haven't given enough middle class welfare or when some of it is withdrawn. Why are those 20,000 workers in Sydney not protesting about this instead of about wage increases that won't be AS BIG as they want? Can't they understand that government cannot help the less well-off if they are not able to trim expenditure elsewhere?
But no, it's always WHAT ABOUT ME!
For this is a disgrace and a shame on the nation as a whole. But it doesn't end here. For many fellow Australians who DO have a roof over their heads the future is becoming bleaker by the month.
For instance: ENERGY poverty is coming to South Australia.
In fact it is more than energy, it is "essential services poverty", as both energy and water prices rise and pensioners cut back on spending.
The effect is twofold. First, because of the cost, pensioners have been cutting back on electricity use and do not keep warm or cool enough, and now they are cutting back on water.
Secondly, to afford the higher prices, pensioners cut back on other essentials like food and even medicines."
Or this: Melbourne, 24 May 2011: Today, Foodbank Australia, the nation’s largest hunger relief organisation, announced that it will provide over 1.2 million bowls of porridge – a healthy and wholesome breakfast – to hungry Australians this winter.
Following today’s launch at Uncle Tobys’ factory in Wahgunyah, Victoria, the rolled oats will be delivered to 2,500 charities and 396 schools across the country to provide those in need with a wholesome start to the day.
Greg Warren, General Manager of Foodbank Australia, comments, “We’re happy to get this major delivery off just in time for winter. Cereal, particularly oats is a much sort after product by the welfare agencies especially during the colder months.
“In addition, electricity price rises are expected to hit families hard this winter, particularly the 13.2% of Australians that live in low income households. For those who struggle to pay their bills, food becomes a discretionary item, which leads many to turn to welfare support. It’s far from just the homeless who rely on hunger relief in 2011,” adds Warren.
Whoever would have thought that in Australia 2011 things would be getting worse rather than better.
Well worth reading and accepting the failures of successive Federal and State governments....If it was not for charity these forgotten Australia's would starve and suffer in what is one of the most affluent countries in the world.....It is not good enough!!!
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