MEDIA ALERT: Unemployed workers to protest deaths in the welfare system at Parliament House
Parliament must recognise our welfare system kills people and reject the government's income support bill
**This event will be Auslan interpreted**
At 11am Tuesday unwaged, underemployed and insecure workers will be joined by our allies at a doorstop and protest in remembrance of those who have died because of our welfare system, calling on parliament to listen to those of us harmed by the social “safety” net and to lift all social security payments above the poverty line of $80 a day.
The event will coincide with the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Income Support) Bill 2021 being considered by the parliament. It is the first item on the calendar in the Break the Poverty Machine week of action organised by the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union, GetUp, Living Incomes for Everyone and our coalition partners.
Speakers: Welcome to Country by Aunty Violet Sheridan. Speakers include Senator Rachel Siewert; Andrew Wilkie MP; ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie; GetUp! Economic Fairness Campaigns Director Ed Miller; National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children CEO Terese Edwards; Kristin O’Connell (anti poverty activist living on the Disability Support Pension); Kathryn Wilkes (Cashless Debit Card campaigner and a single mum from regional Queensland); Georgette Mouawad (Youth Allowance recipient and National Union of Students Women’s Officer). All speakers will be available for interview after speeches conclude.
When: 11 am, Tuesday 16 March 2021 (speakers commence 11:10 am)
Where: Parliament Lawns
Media contacts: Kristin O’Connell (AUWU), 0413 261 362, media at auwu.org.au; Alex McKinnon (GetUp!), 0411 829 334, alexm at getup.org.au
The Australian Unemployed Workers Union and GetUp will be joined by civil society groups and community members to hold a minutes' silence on the Parliament lawns in memory of those who have died of poverty or related causes in the Australian welfare system.
The parliament is poised to make a decision that will trap millions of people in poverty, and too many of us will never escape it.
Those of us affected by changes to welfare policy are being locked out of decision making and silenced by those who are supposed to represent us. Unemployed workers and people who rely on income support will protest in defiance of hypocritical politicians who claim to represent us but refuse to hear our voices.
We'll be setting up 1,400 empty chairs, each representing 1,000 people who will suffer when income support payments are cut on 1 April.
We will draw attention to the problem that the government hopes will quietly go away – that their choices mean 1.4 million people on unemployment payments and their kids, plus hundreds of thousands more families that rely on parenting payments, will have incomes slashed by between $100 and $180 a fortnight.
We are protesting to demand that all social security payments are above the poverty line, the end of forced labour programs and income management, and to stop companies profiting from poverty by returning all aspects of the welfare system to the public service.
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You find more information about the week of action and our other events at https://www.80aday.org