Post by boku on Oct 11, 2019 23:47:39 GMT 7
'Totally catch-22 madness': Award-winning journalist slams Centrelink after being forced to apply for 10 positions in two weeks despite already having a new job lined up
An award winning journalist has slammed Centrelink after the government agency forced him to apply for ten jobs in two weeks - despite already having one lined up.
Pascall prize winner Mark Mordue, 59, sought welfare assistance after a stream of personal turmoil almost left him homeless.
Giving evidence against the Newstart allowance at a Senate inquiry on Friday, he claimed he had to submit ten applications in the fortnight leading up to his new job earlier this year.
Mr Mordue, who is also an author and editor, described his harrowing ordeal as 'totally catch-22 madness' and accused the system of victimising those seeking help.
'They don't provide jobs, they farm the unemployed,' he told the inquiry, the Canberra Times reports.
'You're basically pushed over a cliff and that is how the system operates, to deter or destroy, but certainly not to help,' he said.
Although the novelist had already given job agencies the date he was commencing work, he said they prioritised 'ticking boxes' while disregarding his employment history.
'I was finding my main occupation was to be unemployed and to keep the bureaucracy satisfied... The appearance of seeking work was more important than the actuality,' he said.
The Sydney resident descended from the middle class in the aftermath of his 17-year relationship breaking down.
He received unemployment benefits for a year, but needed them once more for a further three months when the newspaper he began editing collapsed in December 2018.
In exchange for $695 a fortnight- which included rent assistance- the now-employed freelancer was required to send 20 job applications a month.
After he paid rent for his small one-bedroom apartment in the city's west, he was left with just $15 to spend over two weeks.
In a Facebook post, Mr Mordue said he was relieved to be employed again and to stand up against the 'misadventures' and 'miseries' he had gone through.
'It was very important to me to go before the Senate group – and speak up about the ugly and abusive truths that are wreaking havoc on the unemployed and perpetuating all kinds of awful problems in this country of ours,' it read.
The inquiry also heard from other Newstart recipients that had negative experiences as they struggled to make ends meet.
One, a 56-year-old man with twenty years experience in IT and post graduate qualification, was required to do 650 hours of work for the dole - which is more than the community service allocated to offenders for a year.
Another who lost her job while struggling with depression and now lives off Newstart and the money earned from working just one day a week, lives minimally off $57 a day.
She could only afford four meals a week and couldn't take her dog to the vet, and failed to find employment despite 400 applications resulting in 50 interviews over 18 months.
More than half of Newstart recipients are over 45 and earn $277.85 a week or $39 a day.
The inquiry comes amid calls on the Federal Government from various industries to increase the payment.
Mental Health Australia addressed parliament earlier this week over concerns the low income support could be affecting the mental health of those dependent on the system to survive.