These are my email questions for the live webcast coming up with Hank Jongen, General Manager of the Department of Human Services. Hi Hank, I am a single parent and the creator of the Facebook page “Parenting Payments For Parents – NOT Newstart” and I have 2 questions for you in regards to this issue. 1. What is the solution to the crisis that my page followers and many others are now experiencing? On a daily basis my page sees single parents speak about all kinds of desperation, ranging from going hungry, not paying bills, becoming homeless, being unable to pay for medical treatments, leaving kids alone unattended, considering prostitution and drug dealing, fearing their children will be removed from their care, extreme mental health issues, not to mention the impact its having on the kids themselves!!! The supports that Centrelink offer aren’t adequate. The charities are overwhelmed (many media articles about this related directly to these changes for single parents) and are turning people away. The government services are dwindling and crammed to the brim. There are often waiting lists for after-hours school care and other childcare options. What can these folk do? Working fulltime is not an option for many, and even if it were the reality is the jobs aren’t there. 2. Surely parenting payments for all single parents until their child turns 16 is cheaper than the hidden costs of this legislation? I’m referring not just to the financial, but the social costs of these changes. The government will be footing the bill for an increase in crime; the cost of courts and prisons; government and foster care of children; mental health services for the many broken people; some people opting to have another child because that’s the only way they know how to survive in the short term; the government will have to pick up the slack from overwhelmed charities because the reality of this is trickling out into the streets and it’s not pretty.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 12:49:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015