Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Shame on jenny Macklin

Shame on Jenny Macklin
I have just heard the best New Years joke...Jenny Macklin is the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Disability Reform and her statement today that she could live on the dole!!! This in reference to single parents who will be removed from their allowance once their children reach 8 - thus depriving them of $110 per week - Is she for real? Does she have no understanding what this will do to the children who will not be able to afford the many extras that school requires? Does she not understand that living on the Dole isn't just living for one week or two - its what happens when things break down and can't ever be replaced - when choices have to be made re nutritious food and cheap rubbish which supplies calories but not real healthy nutrition. My Mum was widowed in 1969 with four of us still at home - it was a country town and no chance or any real employment as everyone was living close to the bone. She was a single mum because Dad was killed by a drunk driver. Not that its anyones business but she neither drank nor smoked nor gambled. We ate well but simply and got by only because her and Dad owned their house outright - but so often there was no money left in the last week of the fortnight and I know mum as with many  parents did without - poverty such as this is grinding - not over in a week or month
Jenny Macklin
its  like those who go and spend a night on the streets to see how it feels to be homeless - and can come home after that night while the real homeless go on being cold and vulnerable. 
This is how low the Labor party (and I have no love for the other lot either) have sunk. Does Ms Macklin have Private health, a government car, good clobber, good and plenty of whatever food or drink she wants? How would she fare if she was suddenly thrust into the unknown, with three or four kids, with no real hope of full time employment as she wouldn't be able to afford day care - In her making this stupid statement there is an element of "blame" in that she implies those on the dole must be mismanaging if they can't live on the dole...because she could. Just as amongst the haves there are those amongst the have nots who smoke or whatever - but they are not the majority - most are out there doing as well as possible for their kids - being there when they come home from school, giving them balance, loving them - something that you cannot put a price upon - 
 Jenny Macklin is one of the longest members of "Emily's List" a group begun in Australia by Julia Gillard - it is Julia's name on the ASIC registration of this group... the bulk if not all the members of this group are female Labor - and their mission statement gabbles on a lot about how they are supporting women and children yakkity yak - maybe its just the women who matter that they are supporting because its going to get awfully hard for thousands of others who will be forced to live on Newstart with kids - something I know Ms Macklin could not do. 
Jenny Macklin could not live long term on the dole and for her to claim this in her throwaway line is not just rubbish - it is dishonest.

1 comment:

FoxyMoron said...

It is impossible to live on Newstart with children to support, I know because I tried to, and if you live in a small town as I do and haven't worked for 20 odd years finding a job is next to impossible and the TAFE has very limited courses for retraining and with no car there is no way to get to a bigger town. Also if you have to go through the child support agency it can take months for any child support to come through.
I was lucky we reconciled but what about women in violent relationships or widows? It's a joke alright, but a pretty sick one.