Dear Australian Liberal National Party

Guest post by Rachael Price

Dear Australian Liberal National Party

My name is Rachael. I am a second year university student. I am under 30 years of age. I am unemployed. I will be impacted by your changes to the eligibility criteria for Youth Allowance.

Before you considered implementing these changes I was excited at the prospect of graduating from university: of course I was worried about my chances of gaining employment fresh out of uni, but I was focused on getting my degree and succeeding in the eyes of society.

Right now, I am shitting myself due to the six months I will be without financial support. I am certain this genius (this is sarcasm) brain fart was conceptualised with a certain stereotype in mind. This is the Liberal Party’s perception that us selfish Gen Ys have successful parents who would be able to feed, clothe, house and drive us around for six months while we apply for 40 jobs and go to all the job interviews we’ll get (more sarcasm).

It is obvious you kept this stereotype of “the ideal Australian LNP voting family” in mind when you ignored the fact that 719,700 Australians were unemployed in May 2014. You kept this stereotype in mind when you ignored the fact that there were only 146,100 job vacancies in Australia during May 2014. It looks to me like the numbers don’t exactly add up. You kept this stereotype at the forefront of your minds when you ignored the fact that 2,265,000 Australians are living below the poverty line. My family falls below this line.

My family is my mother. She works two jobs, seven days per week and still does not earn enough from her jobs to pay rent, bills and living costs. Unlike your stereotype of drinking, partying hard and going to music festivals I give most of the money I receive from Centrelink (i.e. taxpayers) to my mother so I can continue to live at home. She would not be able to keep me at home without this money.

When I graduate and you deem me unfit to receive support to live, I will have to leave home. I have no other family. I have nowhere to go. To tell me to go to an already struggling charity sector displays your lack of compassion and knowledge of the amount of support they are able to provide. According to Homelessness Australia there are currently 105,237 people who are without a home in country you were appointed to lead and care for.

Another stereotype you kept in mind was that us Gen Ys are lazy and selfish. Halfway through my first year of university I was fortunate enough to gain an unpaid internship in the industry I wish to work in after I graduate. I have been there 12 months today and hopefully I can continue to work there until I complete my education. This will give me around 30 months of on-the-job experience and maybe just enough to gain employment out of uni. But employers expect up to three years experience. The only way to get experience is to work in unpaid internships. In case you missed it, the key word is UNPAID. While companies know they can get a recently graduated student to do work for nothing, they will not consider paying them for it. At the moment, I am getting in to debt for a degree that might not be used.

When I leave uni, not only will I most likely be rejected from employment but I will also be rejected from financial support too. You might achieve your goal of a surplus of money but not without gaining a surplus of societal problems. Crime will increase. Prostitution will increase. Suicides will increase. Mental health will deteriorate. This budget is cruel. It was shaped by crude stereotypes that you have applied to every single young person in Australia. You have no idea what you are doing to my generation. Or you do and you just don’t care. If that’s the case, who’s the selfish generation now?

Kind regards

Rachael

 

Rachael blogs here

Ben Thornton and his Ranty McRant-Rant

#auspol #ausmedia #islam

Wanted to share this just because it’s kinda funny.

(Just to set the record straight…)

 

Is Your Hatred Based on Lies?

Interest-free home loans for asylum seekers? Muslims responsible for majority of rape? Higher Centrelink payments for refugees? Wow! How come the mainstream media aren’t jumping on all of these stories?

Sandra Rogic aka Sandy Mitchell isn’t known for her intelligence. But when she posted these porkies on a public Facebook page the other day, we thought it only appropriate that we respond with some facts.

Myth:

Fact:

Health Care:

The Australian Medical Association affirms that those who are seeking, or who have been granted, asylum within Australia have the right to receive appropriate medical care without discrimination, regardless of citizenship, visa status, or ability to pay. Like all seeking health care, asylum seekers and refugees in Australia should be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

The AMA makes the following observations and recommendations in relation to the health care of asylum seekers and refugees:

Health and Welfare of Asylum Seekers and Refugees

1. In addition to suffering the same health problems as the general population, asylum seekers and refugees are at particular risk from a range of conditions including psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and the physical effects of persecution and torture. They may also often suffer the effects of poor dental hygiene, poor nutrition and diet, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, which may be more common in their countries of origin.

2. To determine their specific health needs, all asylum seekers and refugees should undergo comprehensive and timely health assessments in a culturally appropriate manner by suitably trained medical practitioners as part of a primary health care team. This assessment will be used to establish ongoing care.

3. All asylum seekers and refugees should have access to the same level of health care as all Australian citizens. In addition, it should be ensured that their special needs, including cultural, linguistic, and health-related, are addressed.

Crime Rate Increase?

(Source)

Interestingly and as a side note, Bankstown (in Sydney) is known for having the highest concentration of Muslims in Australia. Yet the crime rate there is below the state average, and falling.

Interest Free Home Loans?

No. Here are some no-interest loans that are available to all Australians though:

http://www.nab.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/nab/nab/home/About_Us/7/4/3/3/

http://www.news.com.au/business/bank-launches-interest-free-home-loan/story-e6frfm1i-1111113145968

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/nab-to-trial-interest-free-muslim-loans/story-e6freon6-1225734395803

(Note: the final line in this story is “The loans would be available to non-Muslims as well.”)

Myth:

Fact:

“The effect of the attitude of suspicion adopted by many Australians unfortunately tends to be cumulative in its effect where conscious effort is not made to arrest it. A “community attitude” is adopted which is very difficult for individuals to break through. This “community attitude” tends unfortunately to be fostered, albeit unconsciously, by the Press. If an Australian commits a misdemeanour, responsibility for it is attributed to him individually. If a migrant commits a similar misdemeanour it is usually reported in such a way that the fact that he is a migrant, rather than the crime itself, is featured and responsibility for the offence is thus shared by the whole migrant population.”

(Commonwealth Immigration Advisory Council 1952. Report of Committee Established to Investigate Conduct of Migrants.)

“News about crimes by migrants creates concern, often unfounded, and tends to disadvantage groups that show higher than average involvement in crime. These concerns can often lead to some outlandish claims that some migrant groups are criminal by nature, or that criminals are entering Australia and our controls may not be working. There is no evidence to indicate that criminals are entering Australia by flouting immigration laws and controls. It is also not possible to say who among the overseas-born, i.e. immigrants, temporary residents, tourists, asylum seekers, or illegal immigrants are arrested for crimes.”

(Source)

“After a spate of sexual assaults on women in south-western Sydney in 2000, many of them carried out by young Lebanese-Australian males, Labor Premier Bob Carr condemned the assertion that the criminal behaviour and misogynist attitudes of these young men were shaped by their experience of growing up in Australia, and not by their ethnic background. Yet figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show that gang rapes are more common in country NSW than anywhere in Sydney.”

(Source)

A 1998 study into juvenile crime by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that “ethnicity was, in general, not related to participation in crime amongst NSW secondary students. In fact where we found any relationship between ethnicity and participation in crime it indicated that students from an ethnic background had lower rates of participation in crime.”

Crime Statistics > Rapes (per capita) (most recent) by country

Rank	Countries	Amount	Date
# 1	Lesotho:	0.844 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 2	New Zealand:	0.315 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 3	Belgium:	0.299 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 4	Iceland:	0.286 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 5	Norway:	0.203 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Protestant
# 6	Israel:	0.166 per 1,000 people	2009	Dominant religion: Jewish
# 7	Finland:	0.141 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 8	Chile:	0.12 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 9	Mongolia:	0.118 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Buddhism
# 10	Ireland:	0.102 per 1,000 people	2008	Dominant religion: Christianity
# 11	Kazakhstan:	0.099 per 1,000 people	2008
# 12	Estonia:	0.093 per 1,000 people	2008
# 13	Luxembourg:	0.091 per 1,000 people	2008
# 14	Denmark:	0.09 per 1,000 people	2008
# 15	Germany:	0.089 per 1,000 people	2009
# 16	Argentina:	0.081 per 1,000 people	2008
# 17	Czech Republic:	0.062 per 1,000 people	2008
# 18	Mauritius:	0.06 per 1,000 people	2008
= 19	Lithuania:	0.056 per 1,000 people	2008
= 19	Kyrgyzstan:	0.056 per 1,000 people	2008
# 21	Moldova:	0.053 per 1,000 people	2008
# 22	Russia:	0.05 per 1,000 people	2008
# 23	Slovenia:	0.048 per 1,000 people	2008
= 24	Hungary:	0.047 per 1,000 people	2008
= 24	Romania:	0.047 per 1,000 people	2008
= 24	Poland:	0.047 per 1,000 people	2008
# 27	Latvia:	0.041 per 1,000 people	2008
# 28	Oman:	0.04 per 1,000 people	2008
# 29	Croatia:	0.036 per 1,000 people	2008
= 30	Belarus:	0.035 per 1,000 people	2008
= 30	Morocco:	0.035 per 1,000 people	2008
# 32	Slovakia:	0.033 per 1,000 people	2008
# 33	Bulgaria:	0.031 per 1,000 people	2008
= 34	Portugal:	0.029 per 1,000 people	2008
= 34	Bahrain:	0.029 per 1,000 people	2008
= 34	Liechtenstein:	0.029 per 1,000 people	2008
= 37	Malta:	0.025 per 1,000 people	2008
= 37	Philippines:	0.025 per 1,000 people	2008
= 39	Cameroon:	0.024 per 1,000 people	2008
= 39	Cyprus:	0.024 per 1,000 people	2008
# 41	Sierra Leone:	0.021 per 1,000 people	2008
# 42	Greece:	0.02 per 1,000 people	2008
# 43	Kenya:	0.019 per 1,000 people	2009
# 44	Canada:	0.016 per 1,000 people	2008
# 45	Japan:	0.014 per 1,000 people	2008
# 46	Maldives:	0.013 per 1,000 people	2008
# 47	Guinea:	0.009 per 1,000 people	2008
# 48	Azerbaijan:	0.004 per 1,000 people	2008
# 49	Armenia:	0.003 per 1,000 people	2008
# 50	Egypt:	0.001 per 1,000 people	2008

Myth:

Fact:

A refugee who has permanent residency in Australia receives exactly the same social security benefits as any Australian-born person in the same circumstances. Refugees apply for social security through Centrelink like everyone else and are assessed for the different payment options in the same way as everyone else. There are no separate Centrelink allowances that one can receive simply by virtue of being a refugee.

Centrelink payments are calculated at exactly the same rate for both refugees and non-refugees. A single person with no dependent children applying for Special Benefit or the Newstart Allowance (whether or not he or she is a refugee) will receive $489.70 per fortnight, whereas a single person on an Age Pension payment will receive a fortnightly payment of $695.30. A single age pensioner therefore receives over $200.00 more per fortnight more than a single refugee (or a single Australian-born person) who qualifies for Special Benefit or Newstart. Australian citizens and permanent residents with dependent children on lower to middle incomes (including refugees) may also be eligible to receive Family Tax Benefits or Parenting Payments. However, none of these allowances are paid at a higher rate than the single age pension.14

Asylum seekers are not entitled to the same forms of financial support as citizens or permanent residents. The Asylum Seeker Assistance (ASA) Scheme provides assistance to some eligible asylum seekers who are in the process of having their refugee status determined. The ASA Scheme offers income support to cover basic living expenses, at a rate below Centrelink benefits.

Bad luck Sandra Rogic. You’re still full of shit.

Andrew Laming’s Dogwhistle Brings Out Scummy Racists

Just below this post on Andrew Laming’s Facebook page we found this – a racist post about ‘coons’ coupled with welfare connotations. Andrew Laming has refused to remove this comment from his page and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

‘Dutch Meister’

Andrew Laming’s Generalisations

I wonder how the police feel about Andrew Laming’s attempt to further inflame this situation. He may be gagged and asked to retract this statement by Tony Abbott at some stage, but as things go here, it is now immortalised.

Pete McCormick and 24,128 Stupid Australians

Pete McCormick worked for the Australian Defence Force, and went to the ‘collage’ of hard knocks *snort*, so one would assume that he might have had some amount of integrity. But no. He posted this ridiculous hoax email to Facebook and so far there have been 24,128 braindead morons who would rather share propaganda on Facebook than do a quick spot of Google research.

 

This has been debunked a million and one times, even by us:

Refugees get more money than pensioners

Does this look like a man who really gives a shit

about how people other than himself are doing?

Racist, Gun-Toting, Dopey Australian Embarrassments

Yeah um, no. Refugees do not get more money than pensioners. Here’s the proof:

https://theantibogan.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/refugees-get-more-money-than-pensioners/

1. How do you remove people who follow a religion from society? Wouldn’t people just start lying about their religion if Gerard went on a deportation witch hunt? It’s all well and good to want to eliminate people from society… actually, no, it’s not. But Gerard would choose to overlook other dregs just so he can carry out his xenophobic and bigoted whitewash.

2. Does Gerard realise that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are those who fly here and overstay their Visas? There are over 80,000 of these ‘illegals’ in our country right now.

3. Does someone want to let Gerard Scaballagher that Aboriginal people are not the only people who are entitled to financial and housing assistance? As for free cars – WTF?

One day, like so many children-of-bogan-arse-hats, these two children will grow up and wish that daddy hadn’t acted like a complete bell-end on a public social media website using a photo of them in his profile picture.

Meet John Atherton. He’s now into his 4th marriage (no lie – check his Facebook profile out). He’s into fucking up his life and then blaming non-whites. Obviously didn’t get much out of his Catholic education.

Ed McDonald: “Like it, love it. Should have pushed his baton through his ears and picked the scum up by the handles”

(Is that the kind of comment that should be made by someone in the defence force? The kind of guy we give guns to?)

juxtaposition |ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃ(ə)

n|noun

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect: the juxtaposition of these two images, ie. a racist gun-owner and his beauty therapist dog wife/sister.

Joseph White: “If I was the copper I would blow a hole in the top of his fuckin head”

“Australia Should Be For Whites” – Michael Lynch

“We Should Sell Our Trucks And Come Back On A Boat”

 

$1000 per week and 8 Labor-voting children per family? Is that really true? This link might help:

https://theantibogan.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/refugees-get-more-money-than-pensioners/

One of these men is lying. Either these asylum seeking scum are procreating at a rate of 8 children per family, or 14 children per family. Darren Beatle Bailey DJ Rock Doctor Morris offers us some ‘well-known statistics’ at 0:43.

You decide who knows their shit, and who knows they’re shit.

Alcoholic Welfare Recipient Unaware of Hypocrisy

Here are some comments by Bradley Hampton. He is currently supported by Centrelink and has a criminal history – two drink-driving offences and a drunken car-jacking.

What a hero.

And he has the nerve to point the finger at non-whites as being ‘unAustralian’.

Time for this dope to get over himself. Full of hate, addicted to the drink. It’s no wonder he’s living a lonely 53 year old life, pushing hatred on Facebook.