The Australian Greens have rejected the Prime Minister’s claims that his government has ‘no alternative’ to cruel budget measures that will push more Australians into poverty.
Tony Abbott’s comments on radio this morning show a deep level of disrespect for the hundreds of thousands of Australians, particularly students, young people and single parents who will feel the effects of this budget the most. They reiterate the fact that his government has no understanding of the challenges facing disadvantaged people, “Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.
Senator Siewert explained that the changes to university fees and HECS repayments will punish students and scrapping payments like the pensioner education supplement will make it harder for single parents to study while they raise a family. they will be depriving young people aged 18 to 30 of income support for extended periods of time and subjecting them to work-for-the-dole regimes, measures that will expose more people to poverty and create new barriers to employment Senator Siewert added.
“The Greens have shown that a robust mining tax is one of a number of strong options for raising revenue without hurting disadvantaged Australians, while our plans for stronger job services and a $50 increase to Newstart and Youth Allowance will help jobseekers transition into employment without having to live below the poverty line for months on end.” Senator Siewert commented