Andrews flags major welfare changes


SOCIAL Services Minister Kevin Andrews says Australia's welfare system is unsustainable and changes must be made to the disability pension and the general unemployment benefit.

A 10-year report by the Department of Human Services shows more than five million Australians received an income support payment in June 2012, with Disability Support Pension recipients hitting 827,000 and 550,000 people on Newstart Allowance.

Mr Andrews says the system needs an overhaul to bring welfare spending under control, The Australian newspaper reports.

He told the paper the government is reviewing all welfare rules to see what can be done to decrease the number of unemployed on the dole, including the possibility of eliminating the ability of those on welfare to refuse to take a job if it is more than 90 minutes from their home.

He says another proposal is for one universal welfare payment with top ups for different levels of need, but that this is a long-term option.

Mr Andrews has appointed former Mission Australia head Patrick McClure to head his review of welfare.

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/andrews-flags-major-welfare-changes/st...

Doesn’t seem to be anything there about kicking asset millionaires off the old age pension! Or removing the lurks the economic illiterate Costello put in by which the very rich can avoid tax using super, or removing corporate welfare like negative gearing and the diesel rebate.

Nah, all about extracting pennies from those who only have pennies. A lot will be done but welfare will grow.

The shambles is made up of idiots!

____ wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 5:05am:


You'd have to be another "freeloader" on the workers of Australia.

There are a lot of lazy  young mongrels living off others. True, there are not many jobs but one could make a good living just cleaning homes of the aged  if costs were reasonable.

So, no need to stretch out the hand and then go to the beach!

St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 6:45am:


Those ppl with expensive houses are just as entitled to their pension as anyone else. Seriously they paid into it while they were working just like everyone else.

SOB

Andrews on ABC24 just admitted this is retrospective, it is only temporary non retrospectiive … and so cons plan to throw disabled people off the pension.


Heartless cons.

It will be to their detriment.

The more they kick the down and outers, the more ammunition for the opposition parties.

The dole queue is growing, as will aged pensioners (baby boomers) and when the 67 retirement age comes into force, so will disability pensioners.

I see the conservative Angela Merkel is giving pensioners a 60 euro pay rise, she knows where her votes lie. Besides it grows the economy, most pensioners spend pretty well 100% of their income. It makes sense to give them more.

St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 6:45am:


And wont because your bogas statement is false. The old age pension is asset tested, you can be property asset rich and the value of the properties does not affect the old age pension, how ever any money earned from these properties are taken into consideration, it is classed as a income. So if they are earning above the thresh hold they will not be entitled to the pension.

If these properties are not earning a income and the pensioner sells the asset it becomes cash asset and likely to be over the thresh hold amount therefore they are not entitled to the pension.

Get your facts right before making shambled comments you idiot! its all on the government website.

You dick heads have this wacky bullshyte idea that asset million airs deliberately live in cash follow poverty for the sake of a couple of free hundreds a week when they can live on 10 times that.

You labor/greens are really fu*ked up.

 

St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 7:24am:


Ppl with expensive houses worked too. Paid into the pension too. Why should they sell and move? they arent living off anyone's backs anyway. Also - not sure who you are talking about since there is an assets test in australia. And its less than a million. In fact for the disabled pension its 196k which isnt even enough for a decent house.

SOB