AUWU Speaks #1: an open letter to Anthony Albanese
AUWU members under lockdown are calling on the leader of the Opposition to join our fight for more income support.
In response to Labor’s decision in the senate yesterday to vote against extra pandemic support, AUWU members are expressing heartfelt anger, pleading with the Labor party to stand up for us in this time of crisis, and demand the government return the full COVID supplement of $550 per fortnight.
Good morning Mr Albanese.
I'm writing to you today regarding your recent comments on Triple J Hack, and the recent actions of the Labor party, of siding with the LNP against extending the Covid-19 Disaster Payments to everyone on welfare.
I'm 27 and one of the many people stuck on JobSeeker, even while disabled to the point that I probably should be on the Disability Support Pension. I've been on JobSeeker and formerly Newstart, for the past 7 to 8 years. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and all the side effects, including constant and chronic pain. On a good day, I can go to Woollies for some things, but then that generally means a day or two in bed, unable to do much besides hobble to the kitchen or bathroom. That's the limit of what I can do on a good day. I was forced to go to Woollies last night due to the incoming Victorian lockdown, and I'm having to write this from my phone, while in bed, due to pain.
When the pandemic hit Australia last year, and the Covid Supplement was introduced, it was the first time in those 8 years that I could eat healthier foods. I could afford my medications, attend specialist appointments to try to manage my condition. I was actually able to afford some new clothes as well, that fit properly and didn't have any holes in them. My happiest day with the supplement was going to K-Mart and coming out with $100 of new shirts, pants and socks. It wasn't much, but I could afford to get them without worrying about not eating for the next week.
Now that it's been cruelly taken from myself and all the other people on JobSeeker, we've been forced back to watching for every cent that leaves our account and watching it with an eagle eye. Many people, including myself, barely scrape by. It's possible to survive on JobSeeker, but you can't live on it. It's also not a "transitional payment" as many LNP spokespeople like to repeat. That may have been its intention, but that's not how it is in reality.
With Covid-19 forcing the majority of the Australian population, including millions on welfare, back into lockdown, it comes across as extremely callous and cruel to tell everyone through your actions that you don't care about them. When I saw the outcome of the recent vote, through Rachel Siewert's Twitter feed, showing all Labor members in the room voting against helping people who need it, it hurts. It hurts me personally, because I voted for Labor because I thought they would help people in my situation. But seeing the repeated votes against measures to help people on welfare, it makes me sick to my stomach to know that I helped that happen.
Regarding your comments on the recent Triple J Hack interview: you said "JobSeeker can't keep people in jobs because it's paid to people who don't have jobs". I'm surprised by this comment. It seems ignorant of the current situation, considering many people with casual work also rely on JobSeeker. That little bit of extra money per fortnight helps pay their rent. With Covid causing many workplaces to reduce or cut hours, it makes a tough situation even harder for people in those positions.
You also said: "I understand it's really tough for people to survive on JobSeeker. I as a Member of Parliament on a much higher income get that people do it tough."
I ask you, Mr Albanese, when was the last time you had to put something back on the shelf while grocery shopping, because you had checked your bank and you couldn't afford it? Or you had to buy many of the very cheap brands due to how expensive some foods can be?
With Fibromyalgia, there are a number of food allergies, which mean I need to be extremely careful of what I eat. The tiny amount I have to spend on food per fortnight makes it very difficult to get healthy foods that I can eat, while being able to pay my rent and bills. I've had to rely on my friend's good will to make it through most fortnights since the supplement was removed. That good will won't last forever.
It seems clear that you know it's difficult to survive on JobSeeker, which is why I'm confused why Labor would vote against helping people on it. We don't need promised future policies right now. We don't need white papers. We need the ability to purchase food, medications, clothes. The ability to pay for rent, bills, transport costs.
Overall, Mr Albanese, I'm disappointed but not surprised with Labor's recent voting behaviour. Both yourself and Labor seem to know that millions of Australians are struggling, but continue to vote against anything designed to help them.
I would love to see a shift with how Labor acts in Parliament, but with Peter Khalil's recent words of: "You will have to wait and see hope you are pleasantly surprised". I can tell you now that I'm definitely not surprised, let alone pleasantly surprised.
Regards,
[AUWU member]
Media contact: 0404 089 575 / media at auwu.org.au
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