Page 1488 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 14 May 2014
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lack of respect to those who work day in and day out to ensure the policies of the federal government are delivered appropriately. With nearly 3,000 jobs going from the Australian Taxation Office alone, we can be assured that we will soon see Canberra go into crisis mode while families struggle to make ends meet and these job seekers struggle to find employment.
Let us not forget the new threat to CSIRO based in Canberra. This agency has made a well-renowned name for itself through its many significant discoveries over the years. We have seen the invention of wi-fi, Aerogard and the extended wear contact lenses to name just three of its major discoveries. Unfortunately, this is another area to see cuts, with $111.4 million being removed from this organisation over four years, including job losses. Yet another sign of the Abbott government’s disregard for science and its value in the Australian community.
The public service may not be the only employer in the ACT, but the people who work in the service day to day are the ones who shop at our local supermarkets, have their cars repaired locally and, in general, invest their incomes locally day by day. The 8,000 jobs being ripped from the government sector will flow on directly to small businesses and other employers in Canberra.
We have seen the government mourn the loss of Holden production plants pulling out of Australia, ripping 3,000 jobs out of the Australian economy with many more thousands of jobs being lost from the flow-on. However, they show absolutely no regard for the impact on Canberra by larger cuts to the public service. There is no shadow of doubt in my mind that the Liberals show no empathy for our families here in the ACT.
To add insult to injury to these families, the Tony Abbott government has announced more plans to hit people who will become unemployed. The Liberals have announced the end of the free medical service Medicare. Bulk-billing will now become a thing of the past, with $7 fees being imposed on those who can afford it the least. That is not the only impact that will be experienced by the ACT community in relation to health care. This $7 fee will also impact on pathology, X-rays and other diagnostic tools. It is a sad day when you say goodbye to the free healthcare services our country has enjoyed for the last 40 years.
What does this mean to the young people in the ACT? Unfortunately young people and families are hurt the hardest by this budget. Not only will a career in the public service be something they will no longer be able to work towards, the Liberals will also ensure that these young people struggle to make ends meet while they look for work through the announcement that they will raise the age of eligibility for Newstart from 22 to 25. Previously, once people turned 22 they could shift from the lower paid youth allowance to Newstart. This means a cut to them of $96 a fortnight. This is in addition to the new arrangement that people under 30 who are unemployed will have to wait six months to be eligible for Newstart benefits and will only be able to claim it for six months before the benefit is cut for another six months. This six-month cycle of getting benefits cut and returned will continue until someone gets a job or turns 30. I have always been proud of this country for its ability to ensure a fair go and equity for Australians, but these changes simply go against that entire nationwide rhetoric.
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