Post by Banjo on Nov 6, 2011 16:10:21 GMT 7
Massive blow-out in dole queue
THE number of Australians receiving government handouts has blown out in the four years Labor has been in power.
Centrelink "customers" have swollen to 7.1 million -- 600,000 more than the number of people receiving benefits in 2007. The total bill over the past year is $90.5 billion.
The number of people on the dole or Newstart allowance has risen by 25 per cent, more than any other benefit.
Almost 562,000 Australians are now on the dole, up from 452,733 in June 2007, and an extra 72,203 recipients have been receiving the benefit for more than a year.
The government cites the global financial crisis for the rise and said the number had been declining since.
"There has been a steady decline in the number of Australians on NSA over the past few years, falling by 4.4 per cent since September 2009," a spokesman for Chris Evans said. "These falls are continuing to occur at a time when global economic conditions remain weak, reflecting the strength and resilience of the Australian economy."
But the opposition claims the increase in the number of Australians receiving welfare benefits is another failure of the Gillard government.
"Labor's changes to the welfare compliance regime coupled with the economic conditions this government has presided over, means the taxpayers who are working and contributing to the economy are having to support more and more of those who aren't," said Kevin Andrews, Opposition spokesman on families, housing and human services.
The disability support pension tally has also shot up since Labor came to power. Some 819,000 people are receiving the benefit -- up 104,650 from 714,200 in June 2007.
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said the rate of growth in the number of disabled people receiving money was the lowest in the past three years. She said the government was tightening the eligibility criteria in a bid to get more DSP recipients into work.
"The Gillard government believes we can do better than a lifetime spent on income support for Australians who have some capacity to work."
But People With Disability Australia executive director Michael Bleasdale claims the move will just see people bumped off the DSP and on to the lower Newstart benefit.
"The government's intention is supposed to get people into jobs, but we don't actually think enough has been done to guarantee these people can get work, so the effect will just be that more people end up on Newstart and that is alarming," he said.
Youth allowance handouts have also shot up in the past four years, with almost 60,000 extra full-time students receiving money to help them study.
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/massive-blow-out-in-dole-queue/story-fn6b3v4f-1226186699511
THE number of Australians receiving government handouts has blown out in the four years Labor has been in power.
Centrelink "customers" have swollen to 7.1 million -- 600,000 more than the number of people receiving benefits in 2007. The total bill over the past year is $90.5 billion.
The number of people on the dole or Newstart allowance has risen by 25 per cent, more than any other benefit.
Almost 562,000 Australians are now on the dole, up from 452,733 in June 2007, and an extra 72,203 recipients have been receiving the benefit for more than a year.
The government cites the global financial crisis for the rise and said the number had been declining since.
"There has been a steady decline in the number of Australians on NSA over the past few years, falling by 4.4 per cent since September 2009," a spokesman for Chris Evans said. "These falls are continuing to occur at a time when global economic conditions remain weak, reflecting the strength and resilience of the Australian economy."
But the opposition claims the increase in the number of Australians receiving welfare benefits is another failure of the Gillard government.
"Labor's changes to the welfare compliance regime coupled with the economic conditions this government has presided over, means the taxpayers who are working and contributing to the economy are having to support more and more of those who aren't," said Kevin Andrews, Opposition spokesman on families, housing and human services.
The disability support pension tally has also shot up since Labor came to power. Some 819,000 people are receiving the benefit -- up 104,650 from 714,200 in June 2007.
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said the rate of growth in the number of disabled people receiving money was the lowest in the past three years. She said the government was tightening the eligibility criteria in a bid to get more DSP recipients into work.
"The Gillard government believes we can do better than a lifetime spent on income support for Australians who have some capacity to work."
But People With Disability Australia executive director Michael Bleasdale claims the move will just see people bumped off the DSP and on to the lower Newstart benefit.
"The government's intention is supposed to get people into jobs, but we don't actually think enough has been done to guarantee these people can get work, so the effect will just be that more people end up on Newstart and that is alarming," he said.
Youth allowance handouts have also shot up in the past four years, with almost 60,000 extra full-time students receiving money to help them study.
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/massive-blow-out-in-dole-queue/story-fn6b3v4f-1226186699511
