Could you live on $35 a day in your state

[Bedford-29]

Has anyone been reading the headlines and the pollie Jenny Macklin saying people on Centrelink could live $35 a day could you live on $35 a day if you became unemployed.

[captainch]

if you don't smoke/drink grog yes you could do it on a stable food. and not play poker machines....... and not use a car just your $2.50 transport ticket..........and i'm not being harsh my grandmother did it ..................mind you we also gave her food ect! $3.00 for milk $1.00 bread which lasts more than one day .you learn to suvive, it can be done a lot of my vetran mates do it!

[chuboy]

$35 a day, you must be joking. My rent alone is about $21/day and that's sharing a house. If I can buy a day's worth of food for $14 that leaves me with nothing to raise any children I might have, nothing to pay any bills I have to pay, nothing to assist me with finding a job, nothing for new clothes and I can forget about dish soap or laundry powder unless I sacrifice a meal.

Twas an outrageous comment indeed. Politicians, eh. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

[tbc1983]

and not use a car just your $2.50 transport ticket

To where, down the road?


Cheers!

[boronia]

This discussion was about single mums. As well as getting $35/day for the dole they're also picking a similar amount for the kid's benefits. This also gives the mum a CentreLink Health Card which gives them a lot of extra benefits/discounts, maybe they even get a rent allowance. They're still not well off, but have a manageable income stream.

Keep off the cigs and grog and junk food, they might just be able to cope.
Yes, just half price bus tickets, not PETs.

[captainch]

yes health care card, rent allowence, kids $5,000 each child and they are supposed to get money from the dead beats dads welfare chech they get iy better than some pensioners who worked all there life, plus I have vetrans who fought for there country living on fresh air so don't get me started we help the boat ppl more!with free medical, housing, internet, phone calls and their illeagle! when I first got cancer was told use all your super then maybe we can help you, forget you fought for your country!

[stevegj52]

yes health care card, rent allowence, kids $5,000 each child and they are supposed to get money from the dead beats dads welfare chech they get iy better than some pensioners who worked all there life, plus I have vetrans who fought for there country living on fresh air so don't get me started we help the boat ppl more!with free medical, housing, internet, phone calls and their illeagle! when I first got cancer was told use all your super then maybe we can help you, forget you fought for your country!

Exactly captainch, you're spot on there.

[captainch]

you watch all the boat ppl they moved to tassie.......................will be working for METRO next week! yep its the lucky country!if your not from here

[Bedford-29]

Watch your blood pressure Captain we don`t want you blowing a fuse .But this dopey tart of a politician Jenny who is in the headlines who be on a wage that we could dream of is saying you survive on $35 a day bullsh#t.

[captainch]

yes she gets over $6,000 per week ,plus benifits!

[Derwent]

If I went to $35 a day it wouldn't cover the mortgage.......let alone anything else!

[Albatross]

Which is the problem with our current social security system. It's fine for bludgers but anybody who is genuinely trying to make something of themselves yet has fallen on tough times finds the system simply is unwilling or unable to do anything for them.

Unemployed job seekers get basically nothing from Centrelink. For most of last year someone closely connected to me was recieving Youth Allowance. They have since found employment of their own but neither their Job Agency nor Centrelink can take any credit for this. In this time, Centrelink did nothing to help them and only harrassed them about their efforts to find a job. Their employment agency was similarly as useless. The "assistance" they offered was a course on resume writing, basic literacy skills, basic computer skills etc. When assistance was asked for on something that may have actually assisted them with getting a job such as help with paying for a first aid course, OH&S White Card, or even an RSA/RCG, the answer was a resounding No. Both Centrelink and their Job Agency would schedule appointments but neither would try and schedule the two appointments on the same day which made arranging transport extremely difficult.

Fundamentally, our welfare system is broken and sooner or later a politician needs to have the intestinal fortitude to come along, pay the short term price for the long term gain of reforming it into a functional system that, in a meaningful way supports unemployed people gain the skills required to find gainful, stable, employment instead of the useless mess it currently is.

[mubd]

I'm a student on Youth Allowance, and I live with my parents, so technically, I live on $14/day.

If I was independent and had $35/day, no, I couldn't live in a house with that. Perhaps something should be worked out where the bludgers get the same or less, while upstanding citizens who have actually paid taxes and have a lifestyle that requires more money to support until another job is found, get more.

[jarf]

^ Perhaps we could introduce a performance-based pay increase, ie. reward people who significantly exceed their minimum job search requirements.

[Mr OC Benz]

If I didn't have a mortgage or rent to pay and a big expensive family to worry about, I reckon I could live on $35 a day.

[eddy]

As I have said on another thread the real unemployment is disguised by thousands of workers who lost their jobs being ineligible to claim the dole if their partner is working and school kids now having to stay at school longer.
I believe Tony is aware of this and instead of appearing mister negative he now promises two million new jobs by getting rid of the carbon tax and heaps of other red tape that deters business start ups both big and small.
Because he has made no comment on this I think he would keep the dole as is but make Australia more business friendly.

[CityRail]

For singles, marginally yes.

$35/Day = $246/Week

Rent: $140 for your own room with other students in St. George Area includes all utilities
Food: $10/Wk for home breakfast, $30 for lunch and $50 for dinner = $90/Week
Transport: $2.50/Day = $12.50/Week

Add them all up = $242.50

[CityRail]

To where, down the road?
Cheers!

No. To "All Areas". Though I have no knowledge if they are eligible or not.

[captainch]

$30 DOLLARS FOR LUNCH................$50 FOR TEA YU WANT TO GET $1,839 PER FORNIGHT AND THE NURING HOME GIVES YOU $50 A FORTNIGHT OR SOAP AND LAUNDRY

[busrider]

He actually said $30/week for lunch, $50/week for dinner...

[captainch]

I miss read humble apoligys

[kitkat271]

For singles, marginally yes.

$35/Day = $246/Week

Rent: $140 for your own room with other students in St. George Area includes all utilities
Food: $10/Wk for home breakfast, $30 for lunch and $50 for dinner = $90/Week
Transport: $2.50/Day = $12.50/Week

Add them all up = $242.50

Thanks for calculating that, I used to spend ~$90 for food per week when I lived on my own - I've always thought you could do $35 a day if you just live on bare essentials only. Honestly don't see why people think you can't survive on unemployment benefits ...

[chuboy]

Since when is transport $2.50 a day?!

[captainch]

was taken to my local centre link office today......................what a experience there was a couple both high on drugs, screaming at the office staff weres our F********************G money its not in the bank, they had 7 kids all under the age of 7 she was screaming abuse on her top of the range phone he had a large bottle beer in a paper bag ,the kids looked like they hadn't been washed in 3 months, they wil be the next eneration of ferralls, so as they were thrown out and the counter lady was crying, 40 mins latter I went out to be picked up and who should I see our friends met up with 4 other bogans and they walked straight accross the road to the local r s l club great world we live in ..........they wouldve made $5,000 for each of the kids and for sure both claming benifts! it should be the rent gets paid by centrelink, and they receive food cards from coles or woolies!

[captainch]

$2.50 is for senioners/or disability persons and some other welfare benifits ............but not unemployed oe students but if you have a family you can get one ticket on a sunday to ride all day