1. Home
  2. Articles

Federal Budget 2017 welfare articles

Federal Budget 2017: Welfare whack for middle-class families

Tom Minear, Rob Harris and Mikaela Day, Herald Sun, May 9, 2017 12:00am

MIDDLE-class families are bearing the brunt of the nation’s ballooning $158 billion welfare bill as the government spends more of its tax dollars on benefits than health and education combined.

But Treasurer Scott Morrison has vowed the government will live within its means in today’s Budget, while promising to tackle the rising cost of living, grow the economy for more and better-paying jobs and guarantee key services.

Foreign aid payments are tipped to be cut again in a suite of savings.

Cost-of-living measures will include one-off payments of $75 to single pensioners and $125 for couples to deal with energy costs, while the government will also announce its long-awaited housing affordability package.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Budget would be committed to “fairness, opportunity and security”. The government is already spending a massive $158 billion on welfare this financial year – up from $150 billion the year before – out of its total of $450 billion.

Data crunched for the Herald Sun shows a working family on a dual income of $100,000 and two kids at school gets $2360 in benefits, while $4830 from their $18,094 tax contribution is doled out in welfare.

Mr Turnbull said the government aimed to make sure Australians were given the opportunity to “get ahead”, to get a “better-paying job”, to start and grow a business and “to realise their dreams”.

Figures produced by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling show families with two kids at school on a dual income of $150,000 receive just a $803 rebate on their private health ­insurance.

But they pay $34,879 in tax, with $9311 going to the nation’s welfare bill, $4824 to the health system, $3012 to education and training and $3666 to defence.

Families with children in childcare receive more assistance, with the government’s $1.6 billion childcare package covering 85 per cent of the fees paid by low-income families.

A family on $80,000, with both parents in full-time work and two children under six in daily childcare, will now be almost $8000 a year better off.

Victoria and Mark Mancuso, who have two children in primary school, said they wanted today’s Budget to help with the cost of living, while providing fair education funding and cash to develop growing suburbs.

“Obviously, education and the health system is a priority because of our current circumstances. I would like to see taxpayers’ money be allocated more equally across the board rather so much going towards welfare,” Ms Mancuso said.

The Keysborough family said Australians who worked hard deserved more rewards in the face of flat wages growth.

“Utility expenses, health insurance and general everyday expenses are continually growing, however wages are not increasing to cover these costs,” Ms Mancuso said.

PM’s faith in fair go plan

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has vowed his crucial first post-election Budget will deliver fairness, opportunity and security to all Australians.

Ten months after a narrow election victory, Mr Turnbull will today join Treasurer Scott Morrison to deliver a Budget they hope will revive their flagging political fortunes.

The Budget will confirm a $1 billion boost for Victorian infrastructure, which is not linked to specific projects, and is less than the $1.45 billion demanded by Premier Daniel Andrews from the asset recycling fund.

Tackling cost of living and housing affordability will be key themes of the Budget, while Mr Morrison tries to find savings measures – which can be negotiated through the Senate – to achieve his promised surplus by 2021.

But the government has lost every Newspoll since September and cannot afford a horror Budget like the one delivered by Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey in 2014.

Mr Turnbull said the Budget would deliver security, both in terms of national security and by ensuring essential public services like health and education.

“But above all, this Budget will be a thoroughly fair Budget. It is a commitment to fairness, Australians understand that,” Mr Turnbull said.

“We are the nation of a fair go, it’s in our DNA and our Budget will reflect that.”

The man given the task of developing the housing affordability plan, assistant minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar, will miss today’s Budget after his wife gave birth to a boy last night.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten remained on the attack about the government’s new school funding deal yesterday, claiming it would affect 760,000 students in the Catholic education system and more than three million students across the country.

“If (Mr Turnbull) wants to properly look after the kids and the schools and the parents, he would drop his ridiculous corporate tax cuts for the four big banks and multi­nationals and invest that money in the kids, because that is the best investment any government can make,” he said.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the Turnbull government had to stop “short-changing hardworking Vic­torians” by lifting its share of national infrastructure funding from just 8 per cent.

He said Mr Turnbull had to stop being “the prime minister of Sydney” and give “Victoria its fair share”.

The Victorian government has announced a $1.45 billion regional rail plan, funded with the money the state is owed from the asset recycling fund for leasing the Port of Melbourne, but no agreement has been reached for Victoria to receive the full amount.

Our schools to survive PM’s cuts

NO Victorian school – public, independent or Catholic – will lose funding over the next decade, according to new modelling released by the federal government.

Amid a fierce campaign from the Catholic education sector over a new schools funding deal, the Turnbull government has released new figures of where its additional $18.6 billion investment in Australian schools will go.

The 24 “overfunded” independent schools that will lose some taxpayer funding are centred mainly in Sydney’s exclusive suburbs.

About 27 Catholic schools based in Canberra will also have their Commonwealth funding pared back.

Figures show the needs-based formula ensures per student funding remains higher in Catholic schools – estimated to be $12,493 per student in 2027 compared to $10,853 per student in the independent sector.

Catholic schools have claimed the new deal – which locked in more than $1 billion in additional funding over a decade – will force them to triple student fees.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham has also written to all schools across the country to provide details on the deal following “mistruths” to schools and parents.

Education MinisterSimon Birmingham has written to all schools across the country to provide details on the deal following “mistruths” to schools and parents. Picture: AAP/Sean Davey He said the deal factored in the background, family life, levels of disability and socio-economic status of each student and school to ensure funding was “truly needs-based and fair”.

“We’ve been open and upfront all along that more than 9000 schools are set to receive significant funding boosts according to their need, but that also means some schools will have their funding levels frozen or reduced,” he said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said “every Catholic school in Australia” was “very clear” that fees would have to go up. “Why is it that Malcolm Turnbull thinks he is so clever and so arrogant that he knows more about running schools than the people who run it every day?” Mr Shorten said.

tom.minear@news.com.au

@tminear

2017 Federal Budget: Treasurer drives demerit system to cut off payments of welfare cheats

Sharri Markson & Kylar Loussikian, The Daily Telegraph, May 9, 2017 8:12am

BLUDGERS will face a driver style demerit system in the Federal Budget which will cut off their payments for up to a month when they lose all seven points.

Welfare recipients who take taxpayers for a ride by failing to turn up to job interviews or work-for-the-dole appointments will start losing payments when they reach four points – and when they hit seven demerit points, they will have their payment cut-off, effective immediately for four weeks.

But some welfare bludgers who commit serious offences will lose their seven points in one fell swoop.

The Turnbull Government will today announce the tough demerit system as one part of major welfare sector reform, that includes scrapping Newstart allowance, combining it with other payment categories, and rebadging it under a new name to simplify the complex system.

Treasurer Scott Morrison’s budget will show debt at record levels, climbing beyond $500 billion, with the Treasurer pledging restraint by keeping spending growth to around 2 per cent.

Mr Morrison will walk away from many of Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey’s 2014 budget measures, that were deemed unfair, and will be conservative with revenue forecasts, given the volatility of iron ore prices.

Mr Morrison will pitch his budget as built around fairness, focusing on building the economy to secure more and better paid jobs, guaranteeing the essential services that Australians rely on, putting downward pressure on cost of living and bringing the budget back to balance.

Major welfare sector reform is designed to stop recipients taking taxpayers for a ride, with a focus on bludgers who are capable of working but refuse to turn up to job interviews, contributing to the exploding cost of welfare.

The annual welfare bill is expected to climb from $160 billion this year to more than $277bn by 2026, if no changes are made.

The new seven-point system will be split into two phases, an initial four-point phase and a second three point phase.

When a welfare recipient accumulates three points, they will have to attend an interview to discuss their situation and will receive a warning, in keeping with the Budget’s theme of fairness.

At four points, recipients will start losing their welfare payments and at 7 points, they will be cut off entirely.

Some serious offences will mean a welfare recipient will go straight to the intensive compliance phase of an four-week payment cut to take immediate effect.

But the scheme will focus on ensuring vulnerable people get the help they need.

It will be similar to the NSW drivers’ license demerit scheme – where drivers who break the law by speeding or talking on their mobile phone lose points, culminating in loss of license when all 12 points are gone.

Under the new scheme, welfare recipients in jobseeker mutual obligation schemes like Youth Allowance and Newstart, will lose points if they fail to attend work, a job interview or other crucial appointments without a reasonable excuse provided ahead of time.

The scheme will slam shut a waiver measure, introduced by Labor, that became a loophole for those on welfare to get out of job appointments if they called to reschedule in the weeks afterwards.

The crackdown will spark a serious fight with welfare advocates.

Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie said the government was “way off track” and its measures were likely to be “simply cruel and neglectful”.

“We don’t have a big problem with social security compliance; the government already has extensive powers in this area,” she said.

“If a person is giving up, then that should worry us and we should reach out and assist that person, not punish them.”

“The big problem is that there are not enough jobs available.”

There has been a particular focus on removing welfare recipients who are “gaming” the system, with government data showing more than 20,000 jobseekers are turning up to Centrelink appointments just to get paid.

Many of these are men, aged 18-30 years old.

The Daily Telegraph revealed in April that only 2213 of the 32,625 welfare recipients who incurred penalties for skipping job interviews and work-for-the-dole appointments – less than seven per cent – were actually served with financial sanctions in the 12 months to September 2016.

It’s understood Social Services Minister Christian Porter will attempt to convince key crossbencher Nick Xenophon, who controls three votes in the Senate, the new arrangement is less harsh than a previous proposal to force unemployed people to wait four weeks before getting the dole. That measure, which would have saved $173 million, had the support of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – and had been watered down from six weeks first proposed in the Abbott government’s first budget.

Other welfare data shows the total lifetime bill for the 4370 young parents under 18 receiving parenting payments is expected to be $2.4bn.

Those young parents are expected to access some form of income support in 45 separate years over their lifetime.

The cost of 400,000 people receiving student payments in the last year was $3.3bn – nearly 30 per cent are expected to be receive some form of payment in any year over the next six decades.

Government analysis has shown an average Australian has to work fulltime for 15 months to pay enough tax to keep someone on the dole for a year.

John
John 14 minutes ago
Too much money spent on leeches of society. In Asia they would be on the scrap heap – here they have all the rights and entitlements plus a diagnosis to go with it which is their excuse to never contribute positively. Anyone on welfare who is a drug addict or any substance abuser should be scrapped of any welfare.

1Claudius Pseudonymus
Daniel
Daniel 46 minutes ago
Simple - if you can’t come into this country and make a reasonable go of it within three years - out you go.

Too many people using this country’s welfare system as a safe haven. There are reports of individuals who have lived in Australia for well over ten years and yet have never worked. Yet they continue to have children and live comfortably at our expense.

It’s time we stopped cutting our own throats with kindness.

2RonGuy
Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 29 minutes ago @Daniel Can we apply that strict rule to ALL Welfare and Dole Recipients, even True Blue Ridgy Didge Fair Dinkum Aussies …?? 3yrs after which cut all Welfare & Dole …??!!


John
John 50 minutes ago
Too much wasted money in Australia going to dregs, bludgers, drug addicts, alcoholics and those who NEVER contribute and never will. All this wasted money too on special education for people who will NEVER contribute.

1Ron
Harry
Harry 58 minutes ago
Its only going to get worse.
Australian politicians have sold Australia and Australians out. 30 years ago each individual Australian was wealthier and had far more opportunity. The politicians are lazy and easily fiddled by big business. Instead of hard work Australian innovation and creativity they have imported people to build GDP.Each new Australian is worth x amount to the Commonwealth bank and on it goes … but there is a huge price to pay. Our city’s are overflowing, wages stagnate and we are broke. Our welfare system is generous and of course people from poor country’s will take full advantage. By all means call me racist … but I am no supporter of angry popularism. The horse has bolted, live and let live.

1John
Jennifer
Jennifer 1 hour ago
I think all children should be funded equally, as if they were all in state based education. Then, if you choose to send your child to a private school, you pay the added costs your decision will incur.

Jennifer
Jennifer 1 hour ago
Malcolm Turnbull is wise to be careful with any funding he gives to the Victorian Government, because their track record shows they can waste $1.2 billion by not building anything. Once bitten, twice shy.

1Claudius Pseudonymus
David
David 2 hours ago
Supportive of all the announcements made so far. Fact is the Nation has to live within it’s means thanks to Labor who left us with mountains and piles of debt. In the meantime, Treasurer Morrison and PM Turnbull doing a superb job.

3RonCarladam
Geoffrey
Geoffrey 58 minutes ago @David A superb job in multiplying the debt. Check out what it was four years ago compared to now. This mob is way more incompetent than any Labor government.

Simon
Simon 57 minutes ago @Geoffrey @David Yeah, well lots of that was structural debt locked in by Labor, or savings stymied by Labor from being passed.
Cheap shot and deceptive.

1Ron
Keith
Keith 2 hours ago
More and more money spent on education and health and of course welfare, good management? NO. In the mean time the efficiency of health services and education systems are failing us badly, spending more on them will not make them more efficient or effective, which is a sad indictment on our governments ability to manage the states/unions and their priorities. And then there is welfare which should be a safety net not an income supplement scheme.

4JohnadamClaudius PseudonymusJohn
Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 2 hours ago @Keith If I didn’t know better I would say this is a LABOR-GREENS budget …!! Welfare, health & education …?? Turnbull has stolen all the Labor-Greens slogans …!!

I am curious as to how Shorten & Labor will answer this now. This certainly stymies the lefties who are always crying out for more spending … err, sorry … investment in their loony toony causes … and screaming that the Lib-Nats are not spending … dammit … investing in Health & Education …!!

On the other hand, Tunrbull is alienating the Conservative base yet again ….!

Please Tony Abbott … Come back and knock down this Faux Liberal Turnbull off his Socialist perch.
2GuyJens
Geoffrey
Geoffrey 39 minutes ago @Claudius Pseudonymus @Keith Indeed we wouldn’t want the government to care about the kids, the sick, the disabled, disadvantaged or the aged, would we? That would certainly be against conservative morals.

Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 25 minutes ago
@Geoffrey @Claudius Pseudonymus @Keith Oh, you’re breaking my heart …. so very many dynamic and prosperous Asian nations do NOT have the Aussie type Welfare System and yet they seem to do nicely enough. The idea of starving to death seems to serve as a very effective inducement to work …

And these same Asian nations also have Health & Education funding which delivers far better results than our over-funded Aussie Health & Education ….
Strange … but then again … keep paying ourselves more than we earn or can afford. That’s the real Aussie Value, eh …?

Les
Les 2 hours ago
Over their lifetime it is estimated that 60% of people in Australia get more from the government than they pay. This is not sustainable nor healthy in a democracy. Remember when government largess was means tested and was there for those who could not look after themselves. We have moved a long way from that model.

8GuyHarryDanielDiane
Joseph
Joseph 2 hours ago
It’s always a Vote For Me budget. A con by snake oil salesmen/women.

1Cec R
Bob
Bob 3 hours ago
Simple, “Not an Australian Citizen” NO WELFARE Simple

9RonGuyDanielCarl
Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 2 hours ago @Bob Yes … but extend that also to all DUAL CITIZENS …. i.e if ya hold Dual Citizenship, then ya don’t qualify for Aussie Welfare ….

Yup … let’s see how many Aussie-Brits are prepared to give up their British Citizenship eh …???

4RonCarlTerryCec R
Diane
Diane 1 hour ago @Bob And if you leave to live in another country, then your payments should be cancelled! How many people are collecting australian pensions but don’t live here and also collecting pensions from other countries as well?

3RonGuyClaudius Pseudonymus
Chris
Chris 3 hours ago
The government has been remarkably successful in conning people into believing that its school funding model is “needs-based” and “sector-blind”, the two terms that commentators have been endless prattling for five years now.It is no such thing.

If I told someone that their NDIS support package was going to be cut by three quarters because their provider’s other clients had wealthy neighbours, everyone would be outraged.That’s how the funding model works for disadvantaged students. If you are a refugee child who needs to learn English, you will get 100 per cent of the loading if you go to a government school, 90 per cent of the loading if you go to a non-government school whose students have poor neighbours and 25 per cent of the loading if you go to a non-government school whose students have poor neighbours.But you are the same child with the same needs.

Gonski, whether 1.0 or 2.0, is not needs-based.It’s the Howard government’s SES funding model under a new name, “capacity to contribute”.It funds students according to how well off the neighbours of the other students are, not according to the school’s actual fees.

Eva
Eva 3 hours ago
The ever increasing welfare, along with the payments of billions to people who should not even qualify, and the PM is talking about fairness??? Really? See H/S yesterday the 8-th of May.

While attacking the pensioners mercilessly.

Yes, the ever increasing bulging NEW SUBURBS bring with them, the EVER INCREASING WELFARE BILL! Along with the ever increasing hike of SCHOOL FEES, RATES, MEDICAL COVER, WATER, GAS, ELECTRICTY BILLS!

As demands soar!

And we are told not to use these products, for the lack of supply!

Add that to sending our produce to Asia, and we have a RECEPIE FOR A SUSTAINABLE HAPPY NOT TO MENTION LUCKY AUSTRALIA!

For who?????

Not Australians, and not even for the benefit of the country!!!

As our living standards decline, the winners are the newcomers and politicans along with criminals.

Do we not have enough of them already? Must we increase the spending on that as well???

WHY???

WHERE DO THESE POLITICANS WEAR THEIR BRAINS???

I hate to think, but it is much lower in their body than ours.

5CarlCarlJVee
Shane
Shane 3 hours ago
Oh look, the single person pays as much tax as Family 1 despite Family 1 earning $30,000 more. Since when has the federal budget ever been fair to single people and childless couples?

11DianeadamCec RKeith
Dan
Dan 3 hours ago
Don’t get me started. Single people get screwed

6DianeadamJudiDavidh
David
David 3 hours ago @Dan Not only single people Dan.

2DianeCarl
Kevin
Kevin 4 hours ago
For this country to survive we must immediately do two things. Firstly, cut immigration and be very specific about who we do actually accept and Secondly, we need to get away from the belief that welfare is an entitlement to everybody whether a citizen or not.

The only automatic entitlement should be for age pensions and service pensions to citizens who have actually contributed to the nation through their deeds and / or taxation throughout their working lives. All other welfare should be needs based for a specific time period, monitored strenuously and preferably paid by the way of food stamps or account credits rather than cash to be splurged on booze, smokes or drugs.

The chances of this happening NIL because our political elite view the use of welfare as simply voting inducements and will never put the nation or its citizens ahead of their desire to ride the publicly funded gravy train as long as possible.

10GuyDanielAndrewTerry
Steven
Steven 3 hours ago @Kevin so a 55 year old loses their job because the business closes. Worked all their life, never claimed the dole, you would not provide them with any assistance while they try to get another job?

2Cec RCarl
Steven
Steven 3 hours ago @Kevin You do know that to get the cash for booze etc all that happens is they sell the card.

2Cec RCarl
Geoff
Geoff 3 hours ago @Steven @Kevin

Steven totally misses the point – again!

Which bit of “All other welfare should be needs based for a specific time period …” did you not understand, Steven?

2RossDavidh
Geoff
Geoff 3 hours ago @Steven @Kevin

“… to get the cash for booze etc all that happens is they sell the card.”

That’s true.

Do you have a solution, Steven?

Cec R
Cec R 2 hours ago @Geoff @Steven @Kevin

How long is that “period of support” … Data indicates that an over 55 that loses their job will most likely never gain employment again …

Diane
Diane 4 hours ago
I wonder if the couple in the article think about how those utility cost increases affect those on a lower income than themselves with that comment. If we cut the costs of housing by half, I think everyone in this country would be much happier, except housing investors of course.

1Guy
Steven
Steven 4 hours ago @Diane and home owners, investors will write the loss off in their taxation.
Think about it … a couple borrow $500,000 for a home, under your plan the value of the house is cut to $300,000. They now owe more than the house is worth. In comes the bank to protect its investment, sells the house and leaves the person with a $200,000 debt and no house.

2Davidhzac
David
David 3 hours ago @Diane How do you cut housing by half?

1Davidh
Geoff
Geoff 3 hours ago @David @Diane

According to the promos on Seven, one of the couples on House Rules did it.

1Judi
sam
sam 2 hours ago @Steven @Diane if you’re keeping up with your mortgage payments, why would the bank come in and take it? That doesn’t make sense. An owner / occupier will only lose money on it if they ever want to sell it and prices have dropped.

Steven
Steven 4 hours ago
The Government has $50 Billion to give away over 10 years for no gain to the economy

2Cec Rzac
Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 4 hours ago @Steven That sounds like the Rudd-Gillard Labor govts which went on a massive spending spree … err, investment in infrastructure spree … leaving $300 billion in debt and yet unemployment INCREASED from 4.3% to 5.7% …!!

Yes, yes … we all know … GFC …!! There ya go …!!

2Davidhzac
Steven
Steven 4 hours ago
The Liberal-Greens Government - ensuring that an election promise made by Abbott in 2013 is somewhat kept

1Carl
sue
sue 4 hours ago
Libs to scared to take from the super rich

So middle class are the scapegoats

6adamTerryCec RCarl
Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 4 hours ago
Turnbull … … ya do realise you are acting more like a Labor-Greens Govt than a Conservative one doncha …???

Lemme learn ya some …. the lovey dovey lefties and loony toony Greens will always vote Labor-Greens regardless of how much ya give them in free welfare …. err, health & education.
The swinging voters do NOT what more taxes, we worry about our jobs and we don’t give a squat about lofty Socialist values …

You are alienating your Conservative base and ya won;t have long now before Abbott returns & knocks ya down for good …

4DavidhzacPhilipMary
adam
adam 1 hour ago @Claudius Pseudonymus I dont have any kids so it doesnt effect me but conservative or not, parents want their kids educated and I don’t think they mind a collective approach to achieving that. Education is good for the nation. We don’t want a debacle like in the US. And I think the same thing can be said for health.

Claudius Pseudonymus
Claudius Pseudonymus 1 hour ago @adam @Claudius Pseudonymus Unfortunately given the current mindset of the AEU, Australian Education is heading directly and fast to a USA type debacle … if it hasn’t already.

Academic Standards here have dropped to below that of even Kazakhstan as the PISA rankings clearly demonstrated. Asian Education standards have leapfrogged so far ahead of Australia that we will NEVER catch up … Why do you think Sciences and Maths here are always dominated by Asian Aussies …??

If we are to spend more money on Public Ed then let us IMPORT proven Asian teachers to replace those atrophied and slothful Psychology & Sociology Major graduate teachers that proliferate in our Public Ed system … all flogging their goofy Social Sciences in lieu of the REAL Sciences.

All Turnbull is offering now is throwing good money … a WHOLE LOT MORE BILLIONS … of good money after the billions and even trillions of bad that we have wasted on Public Ed over the last 30yrs. Remember Gillard’s “Building the Education revolution” …?? Fat lot of good that $16.5 BILLION did for education …!!

And the same thing can be said for Public Health as well …!!

adam
adam 1 hour ago @Claudius Pseudonymus agree re standards and return on investment. I look at the US and want avoid going anywhere near the way they do things.
Not too sure re psychology and sociology majors are to blame though.

1Claudius Pseudonymus
lyn
lyn 4 hours ago
They need to look at how much of that welfare money ends up in Africa and the Middle East, having worked in the fringes of the portion of the population who are unable to work, but know more about welfare law and how to maximise it than the people who wrote it, I have seen the “cats flock to the meat” and know where a portion of it goes.

7GuyMarkJudiGlenn
Paul
Paul 4 hours ago @lyn Unable to work, or just won’t?

5JudiGlennDavidhGeoff
Geoff
Geoff 3 hours ago @Paul @lyn

Like the bloke filmed smashing the windscreen of a police car in Sydney.

Found working on a building site while collecting a disability pension.

3GuyadamDavidh
Juanita
Juanita 4 hours ago
When have governments ever given the middle income earners anything ? This is true from both sides of politics.

Middle Income earners are the majority, therefore the quickest to collect from

We are also the least likely to complain in political circles, so not as much threat

My own personal views on welfare

If you are a non Australian you are not entitled to welfare, give all non Australians a 26 weeks of grace, and cut it off. (Unfortunately you would have to continue giving to refugees, because we invited them)

Before people are eligible for the 26 weeks welfare if not an Australian Citizen, they have to have worked and paid taxes here for at least 3 years.

No child should be registered as an Australian citizen at birth unless one of the parents is an Australian Citizen.

This 1⁄3 of deportations that were overturned on Dutton, re-instate them, that is obviously political against the current government.

Stop funding the ABC

Stop all immigration until we can care for the look after our own citizens first

Stop accepting people who we know will never work, they will be a burden on the taxpayer for the rest of their lives, and their children’s lives.

That should free up enough money to actually fund Australians for quite a while.

10GuyAndrewMarkross
Diane
Diane 4 hours ago @Juanita So what happens after 26 weeks? Cutting people off welfare creates homeless, hungry people. Where do you think they’ll get money from? Crime as they have no other choice. It takes a long time to find a job for some people.

Steven
Steven 4 hours ago @Juanita

middle income
Family Tax Benefit A

Family Tax Benefit B

Baby bonus

Child Care rebates

School Bonus

1Cec R
Glenn
Glenn 3 hours ago
No family no nothing just tax, tax, tax. Not all of us actually can have children so we get to pay pay pay and pay some more.

1Davidh
Juanita
Juanita 3 hours ago @Diane @Juanita If they are not Australians, send them home, quite simple really.

2Davidhzac
Juanita
Juanita 3 hours ago @Steven @Juanita That is actually middle classed with families. Middle class single and middle class couple only get hammered.

None of the above applicable

Cost of health insurance, single × 2 for both families and a couple

Baby bonus is a joke

Child care rebates a total necessity

1Davidh
Steven
Steven 3 hours ago @Juanita @Steven My comment was in response to When have governments ever given the middle income earners anything
They are a list of middle class welfare

1adam
David
David 3 hours ago @Glenn Don’t perpetuate this myth that it is only the childless or singles who get screwed. I have 4 kids, never had any welfare - paid for everything myself. Categorised as “rich”, so support god only knows how many leaners and bludgers on the system through the tax I pay. Pay through the nose for Medicare Levy and the extortion of Private Health. Then the whingers and leaners complain that I should pay more. It isn’t only the singles and childless.

7PauladamsamMarcelle
Cath
Cath 2 hours ago @Steven @Juanita School Bonus is no longer … stopped last year.

adam
adam 1 hour ago @Juanita What do you mean by “look after” our citizens first?

Diane
Diane 1 hour ago @Steven You forgot Paid Parental Leave!

Linked from 9/5/2017 Journal