Andrew Forrest and the dole

I hear on news this morning that Andrew Forrest wants all recipients of the  dole to be income managed.

"ABOUT  2.5 million welfare ­recipients on “working-age ­payments”, including disability support pensioners and carers, would be forced into a cashless world where 100 per cent of their payments were income managed and they were banned from purchasing “prohibited” goods.

The radical proposal is ­contained in mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s blueprint for indigenous welfare and employment, which he has delivered to the Abbott government.

Under Mr Forrest’s plan, all welfare recipients, including non-indigenous Australians — BUT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AGED PENSIONS AND VETERANS — would be forced into income management with no discretionary spending.

Mr Forrest also wants all families receiving family tax benefits to have access to the money directly linked to school attendance of their children.

The ideas go beyond Mr Forrest’s immediate brief, but he ­argues in the report that it is necessary to ­create a welfare system that is non-discriminatory and deals with all welfare disadvantage equally.

It is understood the ­report will be released soon. Mr Forrest has briefed senior state and federal officials in several states. He has briefed a meeting of the Prime Minister’s indigenous council."

I am in no doubt as to how the general public will feel about this!

2 comments

Great idea but he should have also included the Politician's perks to be forced into income management with no discretionary spending.

It already is that is why slipper faces jail ..family tax benefits brought in by Howard is middle class welfare and should be abolished all welfare should be means tested .

There is means testing for the pension so I do not see why all welfare should not be means tested.

Re policitians perks;  there should be an independant body overseeing all claims on the public purse.

All sides of politics have been guilty at one time or another of "trying" it on.  I personally know of one CEO in a government department who went in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and claimed his "wet weather" gear on the public purse.  His General Manager would not sign the forms of authorisation so he got another senior man to sign it.  

2 comments



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