IN ITS 2016-2017 BUDGET, the Turnbull Government Announced Its
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TURNBULL’S DANGEROUS AN OPEN LETTER WAR ON AND DEADLY CONCERNING SOCIAL WORK FOR THE CASHLESS WELFARE SECURITY DOLE IN ITS 2016-2017 BUDGET, the recipients and penalise those who centre operations; and kick people Turnbull Government announced its refuse; give Centrelink more powers with drug and alcohol issues off the plans to give Centrelink new powers to financially penalise the Disability Support Pension. to harass, humiliate, and financially unemployed; force more people These measures are part of a penalise social security recipients. onto the cashless welfare system; broader attempt to effectively cripple As part of the latest round of cruel make it harder to get on the single our social security system. attacks, the Turnbull government parent pension; sack over 1000 wants to: drug test social security Centrelink staff and privatise call Continued on page 2... mention the ‘robo-debt’ debacle, privatised, and dismantled; the poor The result is the current mess: an which saw tens of thousands of and vulnerable are being overworked staff, an inability to Australians defrauded by their own criminalised and trampled upon. provide basic services, absurd government. Fight back by joining the call-waiting times, 36 million Our social security system is Australian Unemployed Workers’ unanswered calls in 2016, not to being purposefully defunded, Union and getting involved! IN ITS 2016-2017 BUDGET, the recipients and penalise those who centre operations; and kick people Turnbull Government announced its refuse; give Centrelink more powers with drug and alcohol issues off the plans to give Centrelink new powers to financially penalise the Disability Support Pension. to harass, humiliate, and financially unemployed; force more people These measures are part of a penalise social security recipients. onto the cashless welfare system; broader attempt to effectively cripple As part of the latest round of cruel make it harder to get on the single our social security system. attacks, the Turnbull government parent pension; sack over 1000 wants to: drug test social security Centrelink staff and privatise call 1 Editorial Turnbull’s war on social security The editorial team welcome you to the first issue of Fightback!, the voice of the Australian Unemployed Workers Continued from front page: mention the ‘robo-debt’ debacle, privatised, and dismantled; the poor Union. We hope to use this newsletter to inform, educate, and give a voice to the unemployed and pensioners. The result is the current mess: an which saw tens of thousands of and vulnerable are being overworked staff, an inability to Australians defrauded by their own criminalised and trampled upon. The Turnbull government demonstrated its commitment to making the lives of social security recipients as provide basic services, absurd government. Fight back by joining the difficult and humiliating as possible. They want us to feel like criminals for accepting entitlements that are our legal call-waiting times, 36 million Our social security system is Australian Unemployed Workers’ and constitutional right - entitlements that are already so meagre they fail to keep us above the poverty line. unanswered calls in 2016, not to being purposefully defunded, Union and getting involved! Rather than investing in job-creation and a fair social security system, Turnbull wants to grind us down with cruel measures to make us powerless. History shows that we cannot rely on the initiative of politicians to solve social problems - the government will only make positive changes if we force them to. To achieve a humane social security system, the unemployed and pensioners must unite and fight back. We must resist the efforts of successive governments to divide us. Instead we must learn from each other's experience and join hands in the struggle for dignity. Touch one, touch all. This is what Fightback! is about. We recognise that our members have a range of talents. If you have something to contribute, we would love to hear from you. The editorial team would also like to hear your stories and publish them under our Voice to the Voiceless campaign. If you’ve had a bad experience with a Job Network Agency or Centrelink (or even if - by some miracle - you’ve had a good one) we’d love to hear from you - anonymously if you wish. Please contact us or visit our website for more information. EDITORIAL TURNBULL’S WAR ON Fightback! is a quarterly newsletter published by the SOCIAL SECURITY Melbourne Branch of the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU). HOW MANY MUST DIE BEFORE WORK FOR THE DOLE IS SHUT DOWN? The AUWU has been in operation since 2014 and is dedicated to fighting for the rights and dignity of AN OPEN LETTER unemployed and pensioners. We are a volunteer group with no funding or affiliations. VOICE TO THE VOICELESS FIGHTBACK REPORTS We have over 40 branches across Australia - to find your local one please contact us or visit our website. WHAT’S ON Membership is free and open to everyone! OUR DEMANDS Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 8394 5266 (National Advocacy Hotline) Website: unemployedworkersunion.com Printed at the National Union of Workers 833 Bourke St, Docklands VIC 3008 Design by the volunteers of the AUWU Media Working Group IN ITS 2016-2017 BUDGET, the recipients and penalise those who centre operations; and kick people Turnbull Government announced its refuse; give Centrelink more powers with drug and alcohol issues off the plans to give Centrelink new powers to financially penalise the Disability Support Pension. to harass, humiliate, and financially unemployed; force more people These measures are part of a penalise social security recipients. onto the cashless welfare system; broader attempt to effectively cripple As part of the latest round of cruel make it harder to get on the single our social security system. attacks, the Turnbull government parent pension; sack over 1000 wants to: drug test social security Centrelink staff and privatise call 2 Turnbull’s war on social security The editorial team welcome you to the first issue of Fightback!, the voice of the Australian Unemployed Workers Continued from front page: mention the ‘robo-debt’ debacle, privatised, and dismantled; the poor Union. We hope to use this newsletter to inform, educate, and give a voice to the unemployed and pensioners. The result is the current mess: an which saw tens of thousands of and vulnerable are being overworked staff, an inability to Australians defrauded by their own criminalised and trampled upon. The Turnbull government demonstrated its commitment to making the lives of social security recipients as provide basic services, absurd government. Fight back by joining the difficult and humiliating as possible. They want us to feel like criminals for accepting entitlements that are our legal call-waiting times, 36 million Our social security system is Australian Unemployed Workers’ and constitutional right - entitlements that are already so meagre they fail to keep us above the poverty line. unanswered calls in 2016, not to being purposefully defunded, Union and getting involved! Rather than investing in job-creation and a fair social security system, Turnbull wants to grind us down with cruel measures to make us powerless. THE BUDGET’S ATTACKS IN DETAIL History shows that we cannot rely on the initiative of politicians to solve social problems - the government will only make positive changes if we force them to. To achieve a humane social security system, the unemployed Drug testing Pushing DSP recipients onto This is an outrageous attack on and pensioners must unite and fight back. We must resist the efforts of successive governments to divide us. The Turnbull government has Newstart single parents pensioners Instead we must learn from each other's experience and join hands in the struggle for dignity. Touch one, touch announced plans to drug test Those receiving a Disability (roughly 90% of whom are all. This is what Fightback! is about. 5000 social security recipients. Support Pension due to drug and women) and will make it People who refuse to take the test alcohol abuse will be kicked off significantly harder for mothers to We recognise that our members have a range of talents. If you have something to contribute, we would love to will be fined and those who test the payment from July 1 this year. leave abusive relationships. hear from you. The editorial team would also like to hear your stories and publish them under our Voice to the positive will be forced onto the Voiceless campaign. If you’ve had a bad experience with a Job Network Agency or Centrelink (or even if - by some cashless welfare card. Experts Expansion of the cashless Further cuts to Centrelink miracle - you’ve had a good one) we’d love to hear from you - anonymously if you wish. Please contact us or visit have warned it will force many to welfare system The government has announced our website for more information. turn to crime. The ‘Healthy Welfare Card’ will it will cut 1,138 staff from the be expanded beyond the current Department of Human Services Demerit system and tougher two trial locations in Ceduna and (Centrelink), and open a penalties East Kimberley from September commercial process for private Unemployed workers who miss 2017. companies to take over its call appointments or activities will cop centre operations. This latest staff ‘demerit points’. Four demerit An attack on single parents cut will make (the already points in six months can mean From September next year, abysmal) call wait times and they’ll be pushed into a parents will have to find a third quality of service even worse. three-strikes compliance system, party to back up claims their Meanwhile, outsourcing call in which the strikes are: losing relationship is over in order to centre operations means that half of their fortnightly payment, receive the single parent pension.