Friday 29th of March 2024

social security horror show in action...

ss

About 55,000 jobseekers who were without a home or on the cusp of homelessness have had their welfare payments temporarily suspended under the government’s new compliance regime, despite the Coalition saying it would include “protections for the most vulnerable”.

Updated Senate estimates figures show 55,714 homeless or at-risk people who get payments such as Newstart received a suspension between July 2018, when the system came into effect, and December 2018.

As of 31 December, Centrelink counted 58,878 homeless jobseekers on its books, though the total number over the six-month period would be greater as people moved in and out of the system.

As Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten faced questions about the low rate of Newstart on the campaign trail on Friday, the chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service, Cassandra Goldie, said the new figures showed “the social security horror show in action”.

 

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/14/coalition-stopped...

the raw idiots are struggling with onions...

It’s enough to bring tears to voters’ eyes.

Four years after Tony Abbott munched on a raw onion, resources minister Matthew Canavan has followed suit.

The Queensland senator posted footage of himself eating a brown onion with the skin still on during a visit to a Brisbane market on Sunday morning.

“Maybe [Tony Abbott] is on to something here,” he tweeted.

“Well I’ve never done this before, but I have been interested in what it tastes like,” Canavan said in the video

“Yeah it’s not as bad as I thought. [laughs] Maybe it will take off.”

Canavan is part of the coalition’s junior partner the National Party, which traditionally does not get much attention during election campaigns.

 

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/14/matthew-canavan-e...