Austerity hits single parents

Vanguard December 2012 p. 5
by Alice M.

The Federal Labor government has lined up single parents in the front row of harsh austerity attacks.  In the May 2012 Federal Budget the government announced it planned to save $700 million by forcing over 100,000 more single parents (over 90% are women) off the Parenting Payment.

From 1^st January 2013, over 100,000 single parent families, already struggling on the low Parenting Payment allowance will be forced on to the even lower and unliveable Newstart, and will have their present parenting allowances cut back between $60 and $100 per week.  This will force many more single parent families into deeper poverty. Well done Julia, for yet again kicking your sisters in the teeth. 

Simply, this is about shifting more of people’s taxes to the big business end of town, under the guise of so called “budget surplus”. Never mind that big corporations and wealthy big business moguls are raking in super profits and getting away with paying next to nothing in taxation.

The Melbourne Institute poverty line data (December 2011) shows that a single parent with one child receiving maximum Parenting Payment, Rent Assistance, Family Tax Benefits (A & B) would have a total weekly income of $521.93. This is only about$20 per week above poverty line of $500.56.  Forcing single parents on to Newstart will throw them into deeper poverty.

For Gillard, Swan and their wealthy corporate mates, $100 a week might be small pocket change for a parking meter. But for the great majority of single parent families who are already struggling, it will be a big cut to the daily necessities of having food on the table, being able to pay for housing, gas and electricity, clothes, school fees (now in most public schools), school camp fees for kids, and much more.

Gillard ignored the recommendations of her own Parliamentary Inquiries that strongly advised the government to delay the passage of the new Bill that forces single parents with children over 8 years off the Single Parenting Payment on to Newstart, until further investigation into Newstart is completed. Instead, the Labor government brought the Bill forward and rushed it through before the community knew about it and could be mobilised.

This move by the government has nothing to do with encouraging and assisting single parents to enter the workforce. It will only throw more single parents into deeper poverty, unable to afford the costly training of privatised TAFE system and higher education, unaffordable child care, inflexible and single-family-unfriendly work places and few secure jobs.

If Gillard was genuinely committed to bringing equal opportunities to women her government would tax the mega profits of the rich corporations and mining moguls, instead of unleashing their neo-liberal agenda that attacks single parents and their families.

Single parents struggling to make ends meet don’t want to be dependent solely on welfare and charity; they want to be treated with dignity and respect.  Single parents want:

• Liveable and dignified single parent family allowance
• Free training and education
• Free child care
• Affordable and decent housing
• Decent and secure jobs that respect family needs of single parents
• Affordable education for their children

Make the profit-bloated mining corporations and banks pay now!