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Post by cripple on Oct 8, 2018 11:12:03 GMT 7
Jokes
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2019 10:08:48 GMT 7
Testing welfare recipients for drugs still on agenda, Coalition insists Government maintains purpose of contentious trial is to steer drug-takers towards medical treatment Internal documents suggest the government’s hugely controversial bid to drug-test welfare recipients is no longer a key priority, but the Coalition insists it remains government policy.
The incoming brief for the new social services minister, Anne Ruston, does not appear to list the drug-testing trial as either a key matter for attention in the government’s first 100 days or a “key milestone” for the coming 12 months. The brief, obtained by Guardian Australia through freedom of information laws, shows other controversial policies, such as the cashless welfare card expansion, required more urgent attention. A bill to trial drug-testing of welfare recipients in three locations across two years remains before the Senate. Earlier attempts to pass the legislation failed to win requisite crossbench support. The internal brief lists the trial’s cost at $5.6m. The department of social services flags the need to give the minister “advice” about progressing the trial, but the advice does not appear anywhere in the heavily redacted document. Ruston told Guardian Australia the drug-testing trial remains government policy, but did not say whether the government would attempt to push the bill through the Senate this term. She said only that the trial was “subject to the passage of legislation”, offering no time-frame. “Substance abuse can be a barrier to employment with consequences for individuals and their families, our communities and our entire welfare system,” Ruston said. “The trial is about testing new ways of identifying job seekers with substance abuse issues, helping them to overcome these issues and increasing their chances of gaining employment.” The drug-testing trial provoked controversy when proposed in 2017. The trial aimed to test 5,000 new recipients of Newstart and some Youth Allowance payments in Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney, Logan in Queensland and Mandurah in West Australi. Those who tested positive would be placed on income management for 24 months, restricting their spending. They would also be sent for treatment, if required. Failing to undergo the treatment would result in punishment through Centrelink’s compliance system, which can lead to the suspension or cancellation of a payment. Refusing to undergo the drug test would prompt the immediate cancellation of payments. The policy was widely condemned by drug treatment specialists, doctors, welfare advocates, Labor and the Greens. Patrick McGorry, the former Australian of the Year and mental health expert, said the policy was an “absolute disgrace” that would push vulnerable Australians away from the welfare system, possibly into homelessness. “It fails to recognise that mental illness and drug and alcohol problems nearly always coexist, (and that) they’re a health problem and not a lifestyle choice,” he said at the time. Drug-testing welfare recipients will stigmatise poor, UN official says “It shouldn’t be a justification for basically withdrawing welfare support because the consequences could be things like homelessness and major hardship.” The United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, warned the policy would “stigmatise” the poorest members of society. He said the policy would not help to save the government money, because it cost between $500 and $900 per individual. The government says it is not aiming to save money, only to divert drug-takers to treatment. “The Australian government is conflating social protection and drug enforcement policies in a way that is counterproductive, unless the main goal is to stigmatise social security recipients,” Alston said in a statement. “If the real goal is to reduce the use of illegal drugs, why start with the poorest members of society?” “Will there also be a policy designed to drug-test and crack down on the well-to-do, who spend far more on drugs and receive all sorts of tax deductions, social security payments and other government benefits?” www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/29/testing-welfare-recipients-for-drugs-still-on-agenda-coalition-insists
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2019 8:19:56 GMT 7
Let’s Drug Test Politicians Before Going After Welfare Recipients On Wednesday the new Social Services Minister Anne Ruston told the ABC that the government’s proposed policy of drug testing welfare recipients, while not a priority, is still going ahead if they can get it through Parliament.Jobs Logo The policy was first announced back in 2017, with the government arguing there was merit in drug testing 5,000 people who received Newstart or Youth Allowance. The bill was put on hold due to a lack of support from the cross-bench and opposition from Labor and the Greens. That should have been the end of it, but Australian politics works on a very small dial hitting only a few small topics ad nauseum. It’s back in the news and could be something Scott Morrison‘s newly emboldened government continues to try to push over the line in the years to come. But here’s an idea for the nation’s ruling elite: test yourselves first, dickheads. Besides the fact that introducing such a testing mechanism violates all sorts of basic ethical principles, the whole thing would cost a chunk of cash that could otherwise be put towards other, more effective harm reduction methods. There’s also the obvious reality that welfare recipients don’t just ing disappear if you stop helping them financially – that responsibly instead falls onto loved ones and the broader community. Not to mention the fact that drug abuse and drug use are two seperate things, and that many, many people use drugs recreationally in society while maintaining a normal life. Finally, here’s the real reason it shouldn’t happen: it’s pig-shit cruel. You want to make a real difference, then start at the top: obliterate anyone from the political class who tests positive for drugs, recreational or otherwise. Give the flick to anyone caught wrongly using entitlements. Give the publicly funded, house-owning, raise-getting, multiple mistake-making political class no opportunities for slip-ups because, quite frankly, they don’t deserve them. When that playing field levels out, then maybe we can talk about targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Maybe we should introduce mandatory testing for politicians, not just for drugs but for alcohol, too. They’re apparently already showing up in parliament trolleyed. What if we started testing the wastewater from Parliament House? What if we had sniffer dogs at all political events, with police eagerly strip-searching any suit-wearing elected official who gets on the wrong side of a dog? Sound cruel and unusual? Get over it. There will be privacy screens supplied while you’re strip searched. You’re welcome. Quit complaining and say thanks. Here’s just one example where things could go wrong: Sydney University’s Lambert Initiative, probably the brains trust in medicinal cannabis research in the country, estimates around 100,000 people use medical cannabis in this country. How many have legal access? At most, a couple of thousand. So think of tens of thousands of people having to illegally source a drug to help their pain with a system not fully equipped to supply for them, and now imagine how some sections of that community would no longer be able to apply for Newstart. Saying “no” to drugs doesn’t work. It never did and it never will. It’s a simple truth that breakfast television and sad old politicians are still allowed to trot out as if it’s based in any sort of evidence. Stop trying to pretend nobody takes drugs. The internet has made keeping up that lie harder than ever before, and anyone over the age of 18 who enters the full-time workforce quickly realises that –yes – adults are just like you and – yes – adults take drugs, too. I understand the narrative exists to Keep Our Kids Safe, but how safe are our kids, and are we just trying the easiest thing possible as a means of harm reduction because the alternative is such an antithesis to everything we’ve been taught? To assume that a process reliant on humiliating and dehumanising the most vulnerable in our society would work is pathetic. To assume it would be a success and have no negative effects is moronic. But our politicians do a lot of moronic things and they get away with it regularly. There are rules for them and there are rules for us. Back when the idea of drug testing welfare recipients was first floated in 2017, Jobs Australia CEO David Thompson said he could foresee a future where people just didn’t try to apply for welfare assistance because of the demeaning barriers put in front of them. Michael Gannon, the president of the Australian Medical Association, said it “simply won’t work“, calling it a measure that’s not fair and not evidence-based. Matt Noffs, CEO of Australia’s largest drug and alcohol treatment service provider for people under 25, said forcing kids into rehab doesn’t work. These are the experts we should trust to make these decisions, and they’ve already made it clear how they feel. “If someone is addicted to drugs, are we so foolish to believe that we could stop them using by simply quarantining their money,” wrote Noffs in 2017. Australia’s political class might think we’re mugs, but we’re not. Before they drug test welfare recipients, let’s do it to them first. www.pedestrian.tv/news/lets-drug-test-politicians-before-going-after-welfare-recipients/
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 8:11:49 GMT 7
Drug tests for welfare recipients on the cards amid two-year Government trial planDrug tests for welfare recipients on the cards amid two-year trial plan. Plans to drug test welfare recipients will be revived by the Morrison Government next week. 5000 Newstart and Youth Allowance recipients will be tested for illicit substances as part of a two-year-trial.
Under the proposal, a welfare recipient who fails a drug test would be placed on income management. A previous bill stalled in the Senate, due to concerns about its unfairness, and lapsed at the end of the last parliament. Trial locations revealedIf passed, a two-year drug testing trial will be rolled out in three locations - Logan in Queensland, Canterbury-Bankstown in NSW and Mandurah in WA. New recipients will be tested for ice, ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and heroin. A second drug test will be scheduled within 25 working days of the positive result. After a second positive test, the job seeker will be referred to a doctor who will assess their circumstances and identify treatment options. The job seeker may be required to undergo drug treatment as part of their job plan. 'People on welfare who take drugs are denying themselves the best opportunity' A $10 million treatment fund will boost drug treatment services in trial sites. "People on welfare who take drugs are denying themselves the best opportunity to take advantage of the jobs we are creating," Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said. "That's why the Morrison government is trialling reforms the welfare system to ensure that we can identify and encourage people with substance abuse issues to get treatment, rehabilitate and make them job-ready." 7news.com.au/politics/welfare-drug-test-laws-back-in-parliament-c-438088
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 14:20:37 GMT 7
Morrison backs drug testing politicians as well as welfare recipients
The Morrison government is taking another tilt at convincing parliament to pass laws enabling drug-testing of welfare recipients. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is open to politicians being drug tested in the same way as welfare recipients would be under a revived proposal to be introduced to parliament next week. Mr Morrison made the comment on his Facebook page as he promoted the proposed legislation that would put Newstart or Youth Allowance recipients on income management if they test positive to illicit substances. It's the third time in less than three years the government has proposed the idea which has been roundly criticised by Labor, welfare support groups and medical experts. Social services minister won't say whether Newstart is enough to live on Under the plan, about 5,000 new recipients of Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance would be tested for a range of illegal drugs as part of a two-year trial to be rolled out in three locations - Logan in Queensland, Canterbury-Bankstown in NSW and Mandurah in WA. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has "no problem" with politicians being tested. Without Labor's support, the government will need the support of at least four of six crossbench senators. Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie has previously said she would only support the trials if federal politicians were also drug tested. Mr Morrison said he had "no problem" with that. "This is a requirement for many occupations these days. That should be considered for its own reasons, but this plan is about helping people get off welfare, off the dole and into work." In 2014, the Victorian government proposed drug testing MPs but failed to get support from state parliament. Victorian MP Will Fowles says he is dealing with addiction. The issue was again raised in July after Burwood MP Will Fowles damaged a door at a Canberra hotel in an argument over his luggage. He later apologised and admitted to dealing with addiction and other mental health issues. Overseas trials 'failed' Labor has accused the government of "demonising" welfare recipients. Opposition social services spokesperson Linda Burney said Labor remained opposed, arguing previous trials in other countries had failed. "Randomised drug testing could see a 55-year-old being expected to urinate into a cup somewhere to prove that they are not a drug addict. That is inappropriate," Ms Burney said. Linda Burney wants to see the latest research into the suicides of some Indigenous people. Burney says the it's inappropriate to ask a 55-year-old on Newstart to urinate into a cup. The government has added heroin and cocaine to the list of drugs to be tested for which already included ice, ecstasy and marijuana. Anyone testing positive will be placed on income management for up to two years or the duration of the trial. "People on welfare who take drugs are denying themselves the best opportunity to take advantage of the jobs we are creating," Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said. Social Services Minister Anne Ruston says taxpayers did not want welfare recipients to spend money on drugs. "That's why the Morrison government is trialling reforms the welfare system to ensure that we can identify and encourage people with substance abuse issues to get treatment, rehabilitate and make them job-ready." She said taxpayers expected welfare recipients to spend money on feeding and schooling their children and paying bills, rather than on drugs. READ MOREQuestions have been raised following Will Fowles outburst in Canberra. Drug testing policy for Victorian MPs in spotlight following Canberra outburst However, the government has dropped a measure to charge those who test positive the cost of the drug test. "This measure is not about punishing people, it is about identifying people who need our help," Senator Ruston said. A second drug test will be scheduled within 25 working days of the positive result. After a second positive test, the job seeker will be referred to a doctor who will assess their circumstances and identify treatment options. The job seeker may be required to undergo drug treatment as part of their job plan. A $10 million treatment fund will boost drug treatment services in trial sites. Research has shown the unemployed are over three times more likely to use amphetamines and one-and-a-half times more likely to use cannabis than the employed. www.sbs.com.au/news/morrison-backs-drug-testing-politicians-as-well-as-welfare-recipients
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Post by nomadic on Sept 6, 2019 18:54:25 GMT 7
They never ask the reason why so many are turning to drugs these days. The total decline in ethics by politicians and society in general maybe? The have's and the have nots has only got further apart as corporate greed has taken over from a once decent way of life. GROWL for sure.
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Post by itsmylife08 on Sept 6, 2019 20:41:17 GMT 7
They never ask the reason why so many are turning to drugs these days. The total decline in ethics by politicians and society in general maybe? The have's and the have nots has only got further apart as corporate greed has taken over from a once decent way of life. GROWL for sure. Very simple nomadic no offence intended, but they just want to be like the Politicians (Psychotic) Out of touch with reality...
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Post by cripple on Sept 7, 2019 19:53:24 GMT 7
Any news on table 6, are they gonna take it out and make people go to rehab?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2019 5:51:31 GMT 7
Government’s drug testing policy demeaning and flawed
The Australian Council of Social Service condemns the Government’s decision to bring back legislation that would see drug testing of people receiving Newstart or Youth Allowance in three trial sites around the country. As reported today, the trial sites would be in Logan, Canterbury Bankstown and Mandurah and the testing would apply to new recipients.
Acoss Director of Policy Jacqueline Phillips said: “Clearly, the Government is trying to deflect from the overwhelming, broad support for an increase to the appallingly low rates of Newstart and Youth Allowance after 25 years without a real increase. “This Government’s proposal is designed to stigmatise people struggling to get by on the lowest incomes in the country. “Let’s be clear about what the Government is asking people to do – it’s particularly demeaning to have to provide a urine sample just because you’re unfortunate enough to have lost your job, even when you may be in your fifties and have never touched drugs your life. “People on Newstart are trying hard to find paid work – they include older people who’ve faced age discrimination in the workforce, with half of people on Newstart over 45; young people trying to get a foot in the door after uni or TAFE; and single mothers searching for employment that allows for their caring responsibilities. “Not only is this proposal demeaning, there’s no evidence that it would work. “Many health experts have expressed concern that drug testing income support recipients is ineffective and could threaten the health and wellbeing of people affected. “Drug addiction is a health issue that impacts people regardless of their employment situation. It should not be treated as a social security compliance issue.” crm.acoss.org.au/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fmailing%2Fview&id=3472&fbclid=IwAR0i8t_rMTNNfK47zpcGnUtK4nP470RLS3UCubwIQzcamPJNwaJk4uf_rGQ
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Post by Denis-NFA on Sept 8, 2019 13:00:46 GMT 7
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Post by prodius on Sept 12, 2019 4:29:23 GMT 7
Unfortunately, it seems most people don't know what is coming. Peril is knocking on the door.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 6:42:56 GMT 7
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Post by nomadic on Sept 12, 2019 18:36:48 GMT 7
Nuff said. They obviously have some other insane ideology or religious reasons for doing it as no evidence to say it is good or support from anyone other than the plebs.
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Post by nomadic on Sept 12, 2019 19:00:42 GMT 7
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Post by Denis-NFA on Sept 12, 2019 19:30:47 GMT 7
I don't know why the sick politicians need Welfare Recipients to test drugs when I'm sure the politicians and bureaucrats have access to only the best. more evidence of other things going on. Office of Drug Control - www.odc.gov.au/
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