The Federal Government plans to extend a system where the welfare payments of parents in Aboriginal communities are quarantined if their children are not sent to school.
Senator Ellison says Indigenous parents subject to the intervention could have all of their welfare payments quarantined if their children are not enrolled or do not attend school, and the Commonwealth plans to use the scheme throughout Australia.
“Over the next 18 months we’ll be implementing it nationwide,” he said.
“What we’re learning in the Territory will be extremely important for our nationwide roll-out in relation to income management.”
Coalition members expressed delight at the decision, with one backbencher labelling it “a courageous decision which will show just who’s the boss.” Members then called for the extension of Federal control, raising suggestions brought to them by their constituents.
“We’d love to see the black fellas wearing like a plaque thingie round their neck - with their ID number on it, & other important details of use to the police force. Just something small, but gee it would save a lot of bother.” said the Member for Buggeraroo, Jim Northing.
When questioned as to whether this plan would effectively create an apartheid system, John Howard forcibly answered that “my government has done more for Aboriginal people than any other government since Federation, and our record shows how forward thinking and compassionate our policies really are. These whinging cultural elitists who claim we are pursuing policies that will harm Aboriginal people need to get out & see the real Australia where miles and miles of empty country are begging for development & it is only my party that will give Aboriginal people the opportunity to harvest the wealth of this great nation that we know lies beneath their feet.”
Tony Abbott, Minister for Health, supported the Prime Minister, saying that the model of intervention paved the way for the entire revisiting of the provision of welfare to all Australians. “Yes, I think, it is very very likely, that, when we are returned after, the next election, that we will look, at quarantining the welfare, payments of people, who use the public health system. I mean, look, if you smoke, or drink, is it fair, is it fair to ask the rest of hard working Australia, to support people, to support these individuals, who, willingly, compromise, their health?”
When questioned about how this may be applied to Sole Parenting beneficiaries, Minister Abbott replied that no firm policies had yet been finalised, but he did acknowledge that his advisers were considering developing a system of backdating payments to recipients who managed to not fall pregnant since their last inspection, & who would then be eligible for payment. “We are consulting, with our community based, service providers to be, able to perform quick, pregnancy tests at Centrelink offices each, month which Sole Parent claimants will be required to do, but, as with high standards of our, other areas of service provision to, the welfare clients, I’m sure, this will be seen by, all Australians, as a small part of their responsibility, their mutual responsibility.”
““We’d love to see the black fellas wearing like a plaque thingie round their neck - with their ID number on it, & other important details of use to the police force. Just something small, but gee it would save a lot of bother.â€?
Not that long ago in the scheme of things I was talking to the mum of an indigenous kid I was teaching. A contemporary of mine age wise.
She pulled out of her purse a little plastic card and explained to me what it was about.
Having been born in an “Aboriginal Reserve’ she was only allowed to leave with special permission.
Once having got that she was not allowed to return without special permission.
After leaving the “Reserve’ she had to carry that card at all times and produce it on demand to any police officer or other authorised person who questioned why she was not where she was supposed to be, that is on the “Reserve”.
Ah the “good old days”.
It is now months since the 97 Recommendations of the Report -Little Children are Sacred was handed to the Federal Government and still no attempt has been made to implement the recommendations. Nor has there been any effort to conform to United Nations conventions. Instead we have a bastardised form of Pearson’s Report that came down during the next week.
So that’s a big enthusiastic ‘Yes’ to apartheid from Mr Howard. Disgrace.
Well, wont be long till we flush these racist turds down the … erm… toilet of public opinion.
The electorate is the true racist, though, Lefty E. The Abbo is the Coalition guinea pig for an ORL-OSTRAYAN neoliberal welfare state for the simple fact that the gov knows we don’t care.
Anybody got any figures for the number of child-abusers behind bars (or even charged) as a result of the NT invasion?
Brilliant Bernice! Thanks.
I laughed my way through, all the quotes of, Mr Abbott. Thanks for the, laughs.
Bernice and everyone:
Right at this moment, I am listening to ABC Radio national’s Late Night Live. Liz Jackson is interviewing a gentleman, right on the spot, about CDEP and related issues.
It is podcast and it will be re-broadcast tomorrow afternoon.
One thing is becoming obvious. Random Breath Testing and Drug Screening must be introduced in the corridors of power in Canberra as swiftly as possible. What other rational explanations could there be for this new convoluted mess? Just what the hell were they thinking when they launched these crazy stunts ???
Wait, I thought this was just some pretty good parody, but su seems to think the Howard quote is real.
BBB
No, not gullible BBB, but the roll out story is legit and the comparison with apartheid is totally apt.
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nil. None.
Sweet FA, your worship.
Everyone:
There mightn’t be too many child molesters in jail because of the
Land GrabIntervention but never mind, we have given the rest of the world a brand new racist regime to hate.Great new export opportunity: Australian flags for demonstrators around the world to burn.
It looks like the coalition’s tax policy is causing headaches in the area of childcare affordability too according to the Government Gazette.
It seems there whole welfare policy is on the point of being an unworkable mess.
Zoot:
Very few indeed, and arguably those that have been incarcerated since the start of the intervention would have been arrested in any case. The other main bit of the intervention that tangibly relates to the welfare of children (and there really is very little) is the health checks. Unfortunately for the government, they’re not yielding the results they expected. They thought the health checks would confirm their suspicions that a high number of kids were being fiddled with. Instead, the survey teams report back with staggeringly high rates of preventable conditions like gum disease and perforated ear drums, which are the consequence of living in poverty. The survey team however, was not equipped to actually treat anyone, just to gauge the situation. So instead of having reasonable cause to push further into communities and force people off their hard-fought-for land, they’ve now got the responsibility to fund remote healthcare providers, clinics, to treat these kids.
Watch this space. Or not; it might be a while.
And they have all been in WA. Not one in the NT.
We need Howard to call a press conference at Uluru with a huge “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” banner handing on Ayr’s Rock.
That should be “hanging”.
So you mean:
Oops!
“THE Federal Government gave money to an indigenous police liaison officer for a program he set up to help wayward youths, only to learn that the man has been charged as a pedophile”
“He and his … wife were doing good things”
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/money-went-to-pedophile-brough-admits/2007/10/03/1191091193891.html
“We need Howard to call a
press conferencehanging at Uluru.”Can we just hang Howard at Uluru instead?
Pity nobody can have this much faith in any Howard Government Minister these days. What a bungling, hopeless lot they are.
The Member for Buggeraroo has done us all proud. I’ve just rung the Army to see if they can come and inspect our local health clinic. It’s in rural Victoria, and if we have to get a few stories about pedophilia and alcoholism sorted out beforehand, jeepers that’s not gunna be too hard! Then they could fix a few potholes while they’re here I reckon. Me mate tried to phone Archbishop George Pell, to have a word with Mr Abbott about some obscure doctrinal point, but no luck.
Look it’s not that the Lib/Labs are anti “the poor� or anti-Aborigines – or anything like that. After all, to be poor or Aboriginal is an objective condition. It is *dependents* they don’t like. Spot the difference? To be dependent is a “subjective� condition. The poor are often good-hearted and Aboriginal people can do astonishing stuff if they put their mind to it and get off the grog.
But to be “dependent�: that’s a whole different plague of locusts. It means you are incomplete, immature, child-like, not a real, autonomous, fulfilled adult. A selfish brat, mostly, and heavy-duty as hell.
Not at all like you or me.
Pollytickedoff 12.16pm,
“Hang Howard”? Oh, sweet dream.
The ALP supports all this don’t they? What is Rudd saying about it does anyone know?
I see a Parliament Library computer terminal has been reading this thread - wonder if it was personal interest or research
Is Noel Pearson the indigenous Mandela, still unkilled thanks to the humane practices of the Howard Government?
Meanwhile students on youth allowance are to have half their welfare controlled by the government to ensure it is spent on textbooks, healthy snacks and an internet connection with an approved porn/MySpace filter.
And the 30% private health care rebate is being halved so that everyone will be sure to buy a bicycle, a pair of running shoes, and a years supply of ‘cancer coucil approved’ sun block. This investment will vastly improve health outcomes, and, over the long term, ensure that the 30% rebate and its associated wiff of unhealthy dependency on incentives in order to enter proper markets, can be phased out altogether in favour of a freedom lov’n and healthy ‘you want it, you pay for it’, health care system.
Slightly off topic but well worth a read is this piece by Barista