Australians too retiring: OECD - National - theage.com.au

"The study also finds Australian men of prime working age have the second highest jobless rate of all 30 member nations in the OECD.

Perhaps because Australian employers are bastards?

In a wide-ranging reform blueprint, the organisation urges the Federal Government to let people earn more part-time income while still claiming the aged pension.

This is a no-brainer.

It also advocates even tougher rules for older people on welfare benefits - including more work requirements for unemployed people over 55.

I support this, but you have to start with employers. They're the mongrels who block older, disabled people from getting jobs. They use any excuse to sack older workers so they can employ someone younger and cheaper. Most people I assess for DSP want to work. Over half have a horror story about how they were forced into early "retirement" by bastard bosses.

And, in a bid to stop the disability support pension being used as an early retirement scheme, it wants older applicants to face the same tough medical eligibility tests as everyone else.

Despite the Government's pre-budget decision to exempt the existing 700,000 disability pensioners from harsher work tests, the OECD says all recipients should be forced to look for a job if they can work for 15 hours or more a week."

Agreed - but you have to make the definition of 15 hours per week reasonable. How about forcing employers to provide part-time work. Have you looked in the paper to see how many part-time jobs are advertised? Pompous ivory tower academics make these ridiculous pronouncements with no concept of what it's actually like in the real world.

Yesterday I assessed a 57 year old man with multiple injuries who wanted to work, who had actually been an employment consultant in Job Network. He trained people for the Mature Workers Program. He cannot get a job. His Job Network provider has decided not to fund the final semester of his TAFE course.

Here is a man doing all the right things - being screwed by a pathetic system. Shame Johnny.

'Welfare to work' melting under spotlight

Penny Wong

Labor Senator for South Australia
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation,
Corporate Governance and Responsibility

Sunday 19 June, 2005

In the last week of parliamentary sittings, Labor will highlight that
the Howard Government's so-called welfare to work package is a shambles that won't improve workforce participation.

"Since the Budget, Labor and independent experts have shone a spotlight on the Howard Government's incompetent scheme and found that it fails its own basic test of moving people from welfare to work," Shadow Employment Minister Senator Wong said today.

"Under the Howard Government's confused scheme, there will be less incentive to move into work because workers will lose more of what they earn."

Treasury confirmed this fact at Senate Estimates hearings, and last week the respected Melbourne Institute agreed:

The effect of on labour supply of these measures is ambiguous... Relatively less can be gained from employment due to the higher benefit withdrawal rates when earning additional income.

In addition, the Treasurer's claim that 190,000 people will move from welfare to work has been completely discredited.

"At estimates, Treasury revealed that it expected that no current
Disability Support Pension recipients would move into work at all. And now the Melbourne Institute is projecting that only 45,000 people will move from welfare to work.

"Add these revelations to the chorus of concern raised by church groups and the news that Job Network agencies are threatening to walk from the system, and it is clear that the 'welfare to work' scheme is decomposing before our eyes.

"Welfare reform was the opportunity for Australia to ask welfare
recipients to help address the chronic skills shortage - but that
opportunity has been wasted with no major investment in the skills of welfare recipients.

"The Howard Government's process for developing this scheme was chaotic, the results have been disastrous - and vulnerable families and disabled Australians will pay the price.

"After nine long years of talk on welfare reform, the Howard Government is just moving vulnerable Australians from one welfare payment to a lower welfare payment. Labor will be calling the Government to account for this cruel scam when the last parliamentary sitting week for the session begins tomorrow."

For further information - John Olenich 0408 841 850

Call to rethink disability reform

By GABRIELLE DUNLEVY - Illawarra Mercury June 11, 2005.

A KOONAWARRA man has started, a petition against changes to the Disability Support Pension which he claims will disadvantage and discriminate against people with a disability, rather than encourage them into work.

Ken Davis, both a recipient of the pension and an occupational therapist who assesses people for the pension, believes the changes come out of ignorance.

Under the Federal Government's "welfare to work" reforms, from July 1 next year people able to do 15 hours of part time work would no longer he entitled to the pension and would be moved Newstart allowance.

They would have to meet job search requirements and would be $44 per week worse off, Mr Davis said.

As most people with disabilities wanted to work, he believed the Government should give employers an incentive to hire them.

“Because of the job I do part-time is to assess people with a disability, I can see first hand that the Government’s claims about these people are not true...the characterisation of people on the disability support pension as malingerers”, he said. “The most serious misconception is what it takes for a disabled person to find real employment that does not aggravate their condition.”

Mr Davis said the idea that people with back injuries could easily find part-time office work was an example of this – often office work could make their condition worse.

“They (the Government) really have a poor understanding of people with disabilities. What I am hoping is there will be enough signatures to get some attention and that it might motivate both people with a disability and people around them to get on board with the political process and try and make a difference.”

Mr Davis said his was not the only campaign against the pension reforms. The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations has launched Campaign Enable to coerce the Government to replace its “unfair” policies with a practical national employment strategy for those with a disability.

Mr Davis’ petition is at www.life-directions.net/dsp.php

PM - Jobless rate steady at 5.1 per cent

Not much cheer for Disabled

PM - Thursday, 9 June , 2005 18:55:55
Reporter: Neal Woolrich
MARK COLVIN: Most indicators show that the Australian economy is slowing, but the job market continues to defy the trend.

Australia's unemployment rate remained steady in May at a 28-year low of 5.1 per cent.

But the strength of the job market is causing its own problems, with employers increasingly looking overseas to find qualified workers.

Comment

Funny aint it. Government says it's reforms will improve the lot of disabled people and single mums. But where do the bosses go looking for workers: Overseas! This shows the poverty of imagination in our Government and business leaders.

DSP recipients are the ones who need a carrot - its the bosses who need a bloody big stick!

Jennie George demands a fair go for Disability Support Pensioners

My local member, Jennie George is fighting the Howard Government's proposed DSP changes. This is her conclusion. I urge you to read the whole speech.

2005 Budget reply: "If we genuinely want to help people with disabilities who have a capacity to work-and I think most people of goodwill really want to see that outcome-we need to understand that this will require a big investment in rehabilitation and employment assistance and major changes in the nature of our workplaces. There are no cheap or easy options. In the meantime, I firmly believe that people with disabilities deserve adequate and secure income support through the social security system, not cuts to their entitlements. It is in this context that I believe the government's proposals in the budget for DSP recipients fail the test of adequate support and assistance in their move from welfare to work."

Canada vs Australia

Check out how Canada is treating disabled workers, then compare it with Australia's approach.

"Injured workers applaud government action
Changes to Ontario WSIB fairer and in the right direction
Toronto, Ontario, June 1 /PR Direct/ - Injured worker groups today applauded the Ontario Government's action to change the way in which the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board treats Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits.

'The announcement today is a step in the right direction to treat injured workers more fairly,' said Jessica Schmidt, spokesperson for the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge Injured Workers' Group Inc. It is encouraging to see that injured workers are now one step closer to receiving benefits that correspond to their true wage loss.

Successive governments have enacted legislation that resulted in a significant loss of income for injured workers. De-indexing of WSIB pensions occurred in the early 1990's and Bill 99 during the Conservative regime resulted in a 5 % loss of income for injured workers. This is the first time since January 1, 1998 that injured workers have received an increase in their benefits."

Empowering Conference 2005

"Empowering Individuals and Families in the Human Services
Sydney, 17 June 2005
Y on the Park Conference Centre

This one day conference will explore an agenda of empowerment for individuals and families in the fields of disability, mental health, aged care, youth, schools, health care and family support.

By ‘empowerment’ we mean person-centred arrangements in social policy and service provision, as distinct from institution or agency-centred systems.

Our purpose is to explore what must be done – in communities, services, government departments, social institutions, and philanthropic foundations – to further an empowerment agenda. "

Disability Paricipation Alliance

"People with Disability: Participation and Payments Forum

More than 30 disability, welfare and employment services agencies attended the People with Disability: Participation and Payments Forum held in Melbourne on Thursday 3 February 2005 to consider options for the reform of income support and employment policies for people with disability and ways that the community sector can contribute to it.

The forum was organised by:

* The Australian Federaton of Disability Organisations
* The Australian Council of Social Service
* People with Disability Australia
* ACROD
* ACE National Network
* The National Welfare Rights Network.

The Disability Advisory Council, Victoria, supported the forum."