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3500 disabled Australians worse off

Since the July 2006 Commonwealth ‘welfare to work’ changes the rules for people with disabilities have changed. People with disabilities who are evaluated as being able to work a minimum of 15 hours a week (rather than the previous 30) are no longer entitled to a disability support pension. In November 2006, The Australian newspaper lamented that the Commonwealth Government was failing to reach its ‘welfare to work’ target set for the number of people with disabilities to be placed on lower social security payments and forced to look for employment. At the time only 2,500 people with disabilities were placed on lower payments, instead of the Government target of 8,600. Subsequent to this, The Age (15/01/07) reported that since the July 2006 policy changes, more than 3500 disabled Australians have been put onto unemployment payments, rather than the pension, and forced to look for part-time jobs. Those forced onto the unemployment benefit suffer a cut in support payments of $46 or more a week, depending on their circumstances.

The Australian (27/12/06) reported that this harsher policy covering people with disabilities will be maintained under a potential Federal Labor Government and that ALP spokesperson for workforce participation Senator Penny Wong, says that Labor wants to be known as a “work-first” party and not one of welfarism; however, this article reports that Labor would provide a greater emphasis on education and training for eligible recipients.