AUWU Speaks #4: 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 on August 5th 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.
Dear Mr. Albanese,
I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with the unanimous decision on both sides of parliament to keep working-class and disabled constituents in dangerous and inhumane levels of poverty.
I ask you to stand with the hundreds of thousands of people severely affected by this government’s inaction by standing up for our right to increased disaster support. Not only would this be the logical decision to help quell the spread of the disease, as it would enable people to stay safely at home, it is the right decision to care and provide for the population.
I am a 25 year old English literature student studying in Sydney and, as of February this year, living in the Blue Mountains. About a week before this current lockdown began, I was let go from the fourth job that I’ve lost since the pandemic started.
Two of the jobs I’ve lost were at bookshops, one was at a café, and this last one at a bakery. The expectation on and of students is that by investing time and money in our education we will one day be able to contribute more to the economy. However, while studying, I, and many other students like me, are only able to find work in low-paying, precariously-held hospitality and retail jobs, where we are often treated poorly by customers and managers.
For the last year and a half I have been caught in a cycle of being the newest staff member at a workplace, which has led me to be the first to be let go when crisis hits. This is despite the fact that I am a hard and generous worker who does all that is asked of me. I even tried to obtain work in the food industry, hoping it would be an essential service that would keep me employed, but as soon as less money started coming through the till I was let go.
Outside of times of crisis, it is hard enough to find work that meshes with a university timetable, but it remains a necessity for me and many other students I know. The $613.37/fortnight Youth Allowance and Rent Assistance I am eligible for isn’t enough to live on. After deducting $500 a fortnight for my rent, I am left with $8.10 a day to survive.
I repeat: this is not an amount of money I can live on. Since all my money goes towards food, I am unable to pay bills on time, if at all. As a consequence I accrue late fees. Even after tight budgeting, I have completely depleted my savings account. As mentioned, I have recently moved to the Blue Mountains, and during this cold winter I have had to have the heater running after getting sick without it. I dread to think about what my next quarterly gas bill is going to look like.
I have recently been surviving on the generosity of my friends and family to pay for my food and bills. Not only is this unsustainable, it is not even an option for many other people in similar financial positions.
According to Scott Morrison, and backed up by yourself, my Youth Allowance is apparently enough to survive on, so I am ineligible for further disaster payments. This is despite the fact that I have lost much more than 8 hours of work. For some reason, I have not heard politicians talk about the amount of people who are in the same position as me.
Almost everyone I know my age is both working and on welfare, and now that a number of us are unable to work we are unable to afford basic necessities. Please be assured: there are a great many people who are directly affected by your decision to not fight for disaster payments for everyone. Please stop pretending that we don’t exist. Please stand up for us.
After losing my fourth job in June, I was overcome with a very strong and serious urge to give up and end my life. It took me a week before I could even pick myself up off the floor (I mean this literally). I wouldn’t have fallen into this hole if I had access to income support.
I had none of these suicidal thoughts last year after being let go from any of my three previous jobs, because I had the Covid Supplement to fall back on and keep me fed, in stable housing, and able to lockdown safely.
The Coronavirus Supplement made a very tangible, positive impact on my well-being and safety. Bringing it back will literally save lives.
I urge you to take my story to parliament along with all the other stories you are no doubt hearing from people in similar situations. I urge you to do your job and protect us. There is no excuse for the government’s active role in the debilitation of the finances of people across the various areas in lockdown.
We need support, and we need it now.
Regards,
rockie Marsden
Media contact: 0404 089 575 / media at auwu.org.au