Senators push for Newstart increase

    by: PATRICIA KARVELAS
    From: The Australian
    March 25, 2013


LEFT-WING Labor senator Doug Cameron will put pressure on Wayne Swan to help single mothers and the unemployed in the budget, in a speech calling for the party to deliver on its core values.

Senator Cameron will give the speech today as Australia's community welfare sector gathers to call for an increase in the Newstart Allowance.    

Backing the increase, Senator Cameron and Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert will stress the urgency of the issue today at the national Australian Council of Social Services conference.    

Senator Cameron will tell the conference that Australian children are being forced into poverty because of the government's decision to move single parents from the single parent payment to Newstart in January.

Senator Cameron wants the mining tax expanded and tougher tax treatment of trusts to pay for a $50 increase to Newstart. He says pushing people into poverty is not a Labor value.


"I think we have gone too far towards the individual rather than deal with society as a whole and deal with it as a collective," he said.

"It is absolutely essential that we consider what is the price of a good society. We need to make changes and consider how we pay for these . . . reforms."

Australian Council of Social Service chief Cassandra Goldie said community welfare sector representatives would make a united appeal for the $50 increase to the single Newstart Allowance payment in this year's budget.

"This can be funded, and must be funded in this budget if we're serious about dealing with the worsening level of poverty in our country," she said. "One-in-eight people are living in poverty in Australia. People who are out of paid work and on the lowest payments are among the highest risk."

Maree O'Halloran, president of the National Welfare Rights Network, said the case for increased financial assistance for single parents and other people on Newstart was compelling.    

"We welcome support from ministers like (Anthony) Albanese," she said.

Mr Albanese, the Infrastructure and Transport Minister who was raised by a single mother, said: "In terms of the position, I'm very sympathetic, as you can imagine, given my background, to single parents."

Ms O'Halloran said single parents "need the government to deliver in the federal budget. There needs to be an across-the-board $50 per week increase for all single people on Newstart including 120,000 single parents, 100,000 unemployed people with disabilities, and 250,000 people who have been out of work for over two years."        

Sorry, the budget's already in deficit.  No spare cabbage for dole increases.

Swagman wrote on Mar 25^th, 2013 at 2:35pm:


Thats easy. Just get rid of the middle class wealthfare and there will be enough with change.

SOB

Swagman wrote on Mar 26^th, 2013 at 7:47am:


Really? So nobody gets a baby bonus then? So private schools arent funded then?

SOB

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Mar 26^th, 2013 at 8:36am:


The baby bonus is only paid to those with an income of less than $75K you fukn retard.