so I now this sounds horrible but as bad as It sounds I'm slightly glad that most of australia are starting to realise what its like on Centrelink and to struggle to pay the bills. and no I don't mean I'm glad they've lost their jobs, I am in the same situation myself so please don't take that the wrong way. I'm a single mother to 2, was working work part time up until last week as well as study part time, no child support, no family help. I live pay check to pay check because its basically impossible on one income especially in Sydney. I'm in some money saving groups and anytime a single parent asks for advice on saving everyone starts being bitchy telling them to get a full time job even if they financially don't gain anything after paying for child care, OOSH and so on. now because everyone is losing jobs people are up in arms about Centrelink payments, even with them being doubled. I see people complaining that they don't qualify because their partners earn more than $1800 per fortnight. lots of people live off less than this, have rent to pay, bills to pay, child care, after school activities. I hope after all this is over and life slowly starts to return to normal, all those people that to line up for 6 hours to get Centrelink and those that were forced to rely on 1 income will be more compassionate. for sure there are the bludgers of society but more people that are on Centrelink payments like myself would much prefer to have job, have a partner earning more than $900 per fortnight but life doesn't always work that way.
21 Replies
My husband lost his job but we are lucky enough that he is able to get a casual job straight away. We wont get a cent of assistance. You know what I'm grateful for? Our amazing healthcare and government assistance. I'm heartbroken that our children will be the ones to pay for all of this for years to come.
Agree! There's some shocking attitudes out there towards low income earners I really hope this shifts views, if there's a positive out of a bad situation I will find it. I think it's a bit if a kick in the guts that they have raised the dole now, this proves they know it's not enough to survive on they had to raise it or the thousands and thousands of people who have just lost their job would have been living in poverty like everyone else on Newstart but they couldn't have handled the backlash or the flow on effect on the economy.
I’m a working single mum, not on benefits, but I hear you.
May be a wake up call to many.
I understand where you're coming from entirely.
It breaks my heart that hard working people are losing their jobs and by extension their livelihoods at a rate that most of us have not ever experienced in our lifetime. On the other hand though, I hope this is a really eye opening experience for those of whom that end up in this situation and have these unfair prejudices or perceptions of welfare recipients.
I've seen people who are facing the very real possibility of living off "jobseeker" payments complain that even with the temporary additional bonus of $550 it's still not enough to live on - news flash mate, this of us who have lived on this payment have been saying that for years and we got by on $550 a fortnite,not per week!
I've had people who are supposedly friends actually have a go at me because I'm entitled to that additional jobseeker payment and they aren't despite their spouse's earning 80k a year. That payment will allow me to get ahead in some of my bills and maybe splurge on a really good grocery shop. We weren't asking for a bonus but we sure as hell shouldn't have to apologise for taking full advantage of it.
There's so much misplaced hostility and anger at the moment, especially towards people who were already on benefits before this happened. I really hope that compassion and empathy wins out here but somehow I don't like the odds...
yes my work mates were all bitching about it last week. I didn't mention that I would probably be getting extra payments as well because I was embarrassed. they were whinging that all the dole bludgers and people that dont work and do drugs will get it. highly likely that most of them will lose their jobs soon and if thats the case I'm sure they will be a lot happier about the payments being doubled. now they might realise that no one (well most normal people) wants to live off Centrelink because its not really possible. its a means to scrape by and live week to week until things work out.
While I get that people on Centrelink struggle a lot of people who work live pay check to pay check
I’m one of those people and my partner and I can’t get any help
I lost my job to the virus but he earns too much so to save money I’ve had to stop
Taking my medication as we can no longer afford to buy it
People on Newstart need to do things like this too just to feed their family. I've lived paycheck to paycheck too and its not really comparable to being on $200 a week
Well it’s not fair he earns 50cents too much
For ages we haven’t been able to buy meat, our children don’t get gifts for birthdays or Xmas, we sold our car, our kids have never even had new clothes.
And that’s while working.
I'm sorry but if you're living off 2 pay checks and cant do all that then you really need to look at finances. sometimes it does work out better to only work part time if you have young kids to save on child care costs. can you reduce rent? stop paying private health if you have it? have you read the barefoot investor? it has changed my life. you need to sit down and make a budget, track where every $ goes. I put money away every week in an account for presents so I'm never stuck at Christmas. I dont use after pay, no credit cards. pay my bills weekly, moved from a phone plan to credit saving close to $80 per month. get rid of Foxtel? shop at all 3 major supermarketers, buying only 1/2 price from Coles, woolies and the rest of the basics from Aldi. work out when the shops mark down meat and freeze it. my local often has it marked down sometimes up to 90%. its a lot of work but It can be done. shop for next years clothes at the end of the season and put away, so many sales on summer clothes atm. sorry to ramble, little things like this make all the difference. hope things turn around for you
We check every cent before we spend, I have a child who’s disabled so we spend a far bit trying to get them the best,
while I 100% sympathise with you, this has been real life for many people before the corona virus happened. my post was not to say haha to all those that have been put in this position, but more to say 'hey, when all this is over I hope everyone has a little more compassion for other people that have had to rely on Centrelink payments' no sob stories from me because there isn't one, but there are people that do have horrible stories and I;m sick of people shitting all over there.
If you live pay check to pay check with two abled bodied people working, imagine what it’s like for single mums/dads working full time, or unemployed and can’t get a job, people living alone on disability pensions etc, elderly on aged pension. You need to redo your budget and make it work.
Be like that other woman who gets overpaid every year due to her husbands bonus she never declares and has a permanent debt of 5 to 9k....the bank of Centrelink....then she just makes small payments....like a bank loan....
Have you checked again? Its increased, someoen I know thought they couldn't claim as they did it on previous amount nkt increased max.
Try being at work getting exposed every single day getting LESS than what people at home are getting. Not being able to pay bills due to wage cuts, being told use your holiday pay that you sacrificed for then once that dries up to up bad. I earn LESS than many and still have to commute to work everyday, wash a uniform everyday(contamination risk) I have added expenses with reduced income but still LESS wage than being SAFE at home.
Can't edit. Am annoyed those who are now eligble are annoyed. If I earned what I was before(a now redundant trade due to virus) I would have so much more money in the bank.
while thats shit I find it hard to believe you get paid less than $550 a week or every single day as you claim. it was actually $550 a fortnight a few weeks ago so half that. now If you lost that job, you could get jobseeker if you were eligible so isnt that great. im sorry, I dont understand your post at all, it doesn't make sense.
What a shit thing to say during a time like this!
People have lost their jobs and businesses. Yet you think it's an appropriate time to say you hope others know what it's like to suffer. Who's to say they haven't before? Perhaps they were homeless and worked their ass off to get back on their feet?
One would think coming from someone calling for compassion, that they would in turn be compassionate to people who haven't chosen to live off government payments and support their families with a job or owning a business they've invested time in.
you sounds like a bitter passive aggressive piece of work.
these people did leave with in there means, have supported themselves and mostly never had any assistance. and guess what princess your pay check was paid for by them working .
so back up, and for someone who is saying "she doesn't like to be judged" read your post again that's what you have done.
they are not bad for saying they can't afford the kids school fees or mortgage, because up unti 2 months ago it was all okay. you need to learn to see the whole picture
actually no, I've worked my whole life. I've had 2 jobs from the minute I was old enough and have worked full time until I was pregnant. 12 weeks after giving birth I went back to casual work sometimes working up to 50 hrs per week until I got pregnant again, 3 months after that I left a horrible DV situation ad I went back to working part time. well until 2 weeks ago just like a lot of other people I was stood down due to COVID 19. . so no darling my pay check wasn't paid by 'them' hard workers because I am one myself. I do see the whole picture, If you actually read my post all I said was that hopefully all this judgement stops. I am so sick of reading ignorant statements from people like you, who believe that everyone on Centrelink has never worked and get told that they pay for them to sit on their ass. so maybe you need a reality check. I live within my means, and as soon as I was stood down I was able to cut down on all my non essentials so I'm not left homeless. I also have over 6 months wages in my savings for emergencies like this. I am amazing at budgeting and I can guarantee if all these people complaig took a good look at their finances 2 years ago they wouldn't be in this situation.
OP - wow wow wow. all I can say is you really are a bunch of judgemental jerks. no I would never want anyone to lose their job as I stated, I lost my own! I have worked my whole goddam life so no you haven't been paying me for sitting on my ass. I've probably had a year in total of not working and I'm 35 years old. for the people saying we put ourselves in this position, I could say the exact same thing about people complaining that they are only earning 4K a fortnight or the lady complaining that she has 5 kids to feed. no one asked for this but we are all in this together. all of us in some way will eventually feel the crash from corona. I feel so horrible for all the small businesses, hairdressers, gym owners, retail workers, pretty much anyone that has been effected by this shitty virus. my own family have been affected so why would I wish that upon anyone. I don't even understand how people got that from my post. it was merely just a plea to be compassionate. all I've seen over social media the last few days is people ranting and complain about the extra Centrelink payments and being plain nasty. it wasn't a poor me post in any way, I have saved my ass off and gone without to have plenty of savings for rainy days or months just like we are going through now. I simply felt the need to stick up for the people who are constantly attacked but all those people that think they're nice, think again.