The expansion of compulsory money management and introduction of mandatory community service for beneficiaries reheats failed policies that have not supported people into work both here and in Australia.
“People in poverty deserve so much better than the pain and misery this Government is inflicting upon them,” says Green Party Social Development and Employment spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March.
“People deserve to live in dignity, they deserve to be supported in times of need. Everything we need to turn this ambition into a reality exists, all that is missing is the political will.
“The Government has shown little ambition or interest in really addressing poverty and has instead made life harder for many of our communities. Cuts to benefit increases, job losses and an increase in sanctions have left people without the resources to put food on the table and pay their bills.
“Compulsory money management only serves to take further agency away from people who simply do not have enough to properly make ends meet and regularly have to get into debt to cover the essentials
“This policy has failed to support people into employment in Australia, and yet the Government is wanting to replicate this instead of working to end poverty.
“Community service is a lazy reheated idea from the 90’s that failed to support people into permanent employment, left sponsors dependent on free labour and burdened families with the costs of unpaid work. These are tried, tested and failed policies, we can do so much better than this.
“We vow to overturn these failed and cruel policies that will only make life harder for beneficiaries, and instead introduce an Income Guarantee to lift all families out of poverty while empowering them to make the choices that are best for them. We would also provide tailored support to connect people to employment that provides secure hours, decent wages and helps them meet their aspirations,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.
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