Media Release - Dump Breaching Legislation and Start Again – CSSA

Catholic Social Services Australia Executive Director, Frank Quinlan, has called for a major overhaul of legislation that allows people's welfare payments to be cut for eight weeks, usually without alternate financial support.

Responding to Senate Estimates figures supplied in response to questions from Greens Senator Rachel Siewert, Mr Quinlan welcomed their release but said the figures should be routinely available to allow public scrutiny.

According to the figures, the number of people who have had their welfare payments cut for eight weeks in the nine months to February this year has more than doubled compared to the 2006-07 financial year.

Of the 27,090 job seekers who had their payments suspended for eight weeks, only 3,021 were offered financial case management, (or financial support), for that eight week period.

Mr Quinlan said the public are entitled to much more information. How many of these people are mentally ill? How many have drug and alcohol problems? What special programs have been put in place to help people who have already been adversely affected by the legislation - people who have lost their accommodation or fallen behind on their power bills?

"Today's figures add weight to the concerns we raised when breaching was first introduced in 2006. Our agencies would not be part of the financial case management program because of their concern for struggling jobseekers and people on pensions," Mr Quinlan said.

"This unprecedented increase in the number of people who have lost their payments shows the system doesn't work and that it is out of control.

"We know the Government is looking at welfare-to-work ‘reforms' and we encourage them to get on with it as a matter of urgency.

"Its been reported that Employment Minister Brendan O'Connor will instruct Job Network and Centrelink staff to ‘adopt a more compassionate approach', but the system needs a radical overhaul, not tinkering at the edges.

"Sometimes payments need to be stopped in order to re-engage people, but payments should be re-instated as soon as contact has been re-established.
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"People who remain unemployed in such buoyant economic times need more intensive assistance and support - not penalties and humiliation.

"Many of these people are on long, long waiting lists to get help with drug and alcohol problems, mental health problems and a range of other issues that prevent them from managing their affairs as well as they might like," Mr Quinlan said.

Catholic Social Services Australia provides social services to over a million Australians each year through its 64 member agencies in remote, regional and metropolitan Australia.

15 April 2008

CONTACT: Judith Tokley 0408 824 306 / 02 6285 1366