How will Australia's budget affect you - readers respond
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/how-will-australias-budget-affect-you-readers-respond Version 0 of 1. Educator Now that university fees are increasing their fees, many people will be unwilling to take on further study. I am a teacher and wholeheartedly believe that education should always be a priority of any government. Sent via GuardianWitness By
Benjamin Farr 13 May 2014, 21:28 University Education and Increased Fees? There is not enough detail for students who currently study under fee-help limits for professional qualifying courses. What do we do if our universities increase fees to the point where we cannot afford to pay our courses as we study? Each subject for postgraduate degrees costs around 3K minimum. The government seems to be ignoring this aspect. Sent via GuardianWitness By
LucreziaM 13 May 2014, 21:39 Today Australia lost some of its humanity "The best test of a civilised society is the way in which it treats its weakest members." I am on DSP and see bulkbilling specialists and a bulkbilling GP regularly. I am on a lot of medication and until the medical safety net sets in around July it is a struggle to pay for medication, increasing cost of living and all the other costs of a normal life (no I do not smoke, only drink socially and do not eat out or go on holidays). The forced $7 fee to see a doctor/have tests done, the increase in the medication cost - even with the concession card - and the increase of the safety net level will make my daily life even harder. There will be more things I will have to forego - small things like limiting the amount of books I ask the library to get home for me or not going to a card making course ($10 for materials). I thought that we could afford a day to day life in decent human conditions for all our citizens, but apparently that is not so. Remember the old saying tho "There but for the Grace of God go I" - it could be you - and you may find that the safety nets you thought you had weren't as strong as you figured. Sent via GuardianWitness By
Telvannah 13 May 2014, 23:56 New Pensioner Today I began life as a pensioner. What a future I have to look forward to. My wife and I have contributed to the professional art over long careers. Superannuation in the arts is a joke and I retire with $48 super. The age pension is not welfare - I have paid for my share over 45 years of hard work and taxes. Now I am told that I will have to pay for medical research, pollution payments to big companies, road infrastructure to the Sydney metropolitan area and all sorts of benefits to the rich as our pension disappears down the gurgled. ............. and the liberal treasurer demonstrates his lack of concern for the needy with the grin which has become mandatory for liberal treasurers as they destroy our sense of pride in our nation. Sent via GuardianWitness By
IanBremner 13 May 2014, 23:46 Pensioners hit too hard Pensioners live on a very delicately balanced budget. Small hits (and there are many not so small hits in Hockey's budget) have the potential to affect them more than most working people. With medical conditions like diabetes, it is probably that some won't pay $7 each for GP, blood tests, various medications (I take three for diabetes alone) that are required at regular intervals. One visit alone for one condition (I juggle 4) could easily cost $38 with medications where previously it would have cost $21. A $17 dollar increase on this one item alone represents a significant payment that could have gone on food or other essentials. This impost is too great for pensioners to bear and represents a much larger percentage of their income than any temporary 2% imposed on the rich. Sent via GuardianWitness By
Kathyba 14 May 2014, 0:04 The Greater Misery will be Shared Consequences More people will be desperate, especially the under-30's when they lose their jobs, and that will lead to desperate actions, crime will increase. My area is a mix of low and middle income earners with many retirees and pensioners, and I expect the streets will become more unsafe once the hurt arrives. My two kids look like being saddled with heavier University fees, which will begin in less than a year and in three years respectively, we don't know how we'll deal with it.. Sent via GuardianWitness By
icurahuman2 14 May 2014, 8:18 Who is doing the heavy lifting? I am an aged pensioner, with no other financial support other than the pension. I receive $776.00 plus supplements taking it up to $842.80 a fortnight. I also get rent assistance of $120.00 a fortnight. making a total of $962.80. My rent is $440.00 leaving me with $522.80 a fortnight. Out of this I, like everyone else, have to pay electricity, telephone, and all other household expenses, as well as trying to buy healthy food. Pensioners of my age did not have access superannuation. We rely on the Government to help us. We have already done the heavy lifting. And we are now being screwed disproportionally. Sent via GuardianWitness By
Marie Reynolds 14 May 2014, 8:58 Stroke prevention What is a "price signal" supposed to do when I must have my INR associated with warfarin checked monthly at the doctor's? Does Joe Hockey want me to stop? Sent via GuardianWitness By
Meilan2 14 May 2014, 9:24 Into the valley of death ride the brave 16,500 Im one of the bloated, lazy, good for nothing Public Servants who will be out of a job shortly. Good onya sloppy Joe. Sent via GuardianWitness By
TheotherClaw 14 May 2014, 8:29 DSP over 35 I'm indexed to become poorer every year, pay more for GP visits and prescriptions whilst living in a high unemployment rural city. Not being a complete psychopath, I'm more worried about the effect on middle to low income families, our skills base in appretiships and graduates, the selling of revenue generating assets compounding the problem and the enevitable recession a cut to government spending on the down turn of an economic boom has always historically caused. Sent via GuardianWitness By
ligaff 14 May 2014, 11:10 Nooooo Way Im on DSP and might not be reviewed for now - my Dr says they will support me through this - but I dont feel safe. I will pay more for prescriptions and to visit Drs which i have to do every few months for blood tests to monitor my conditions. One of the few luxuries i have is that i manage to run a car and yes i only ever drive to the supermarket as thats the only place i ever go but petrol is up. I can smell the state government taking away my annual rego discount next to save money - i cant afford insurance so im always fearful about my car. If i ever did go back to full time work id have to pay more fees to go to uni to retrain myself. Ive just had all my options that let me access the real world reduced which makes me more likely to not leave the house at all. So my life is now this. Get welfare which the health and housing dept take most of. Once a week i leave the house to get supermarket food. Wait two weeks till next welfare payment and then leave the house to go to the supermarket. I dont want more money i want the system to be left as it was as I had been saving for ten years a tiny bit here and there which gave me a buffer so that i could once a week go eat out at a cheap eat. That will now be absorbed by the increase in Dr fees and petrol and im sure that i was supporting small business and now my segment of the community will no longer be supporting anyone other than the supermarkets and petrol companies and phone telcos. Small business will no longer see anything from pensioners like me due to reduced disposable income. Sent via GuardianWitness By
grimotr 14 May 2014, 11:32 Maintaining my health will be more expensive I have a condition for which I need regular blood tests and medication both of which will be more expensive. And, my Brisbane city GP charges $70 for a 10 minute consultation, I get about half of that back from medicare. I'll now get $7 less so the cost of my GP visits have just gone up 10% Sent via GuardianWitness By
TonyC236 14 May 2014, 12:51 health before wealth I'm trying to calculate the thousands my family will lose. Our main expenses are health, urban rent and food. Do not own a car although will hire when long distance/important transport is necessary. Its actually cheaper to hire a car than ownership or paying for taxis. Of utmost importance is health as my family and I love life and want to live as long as possible. Sometimes life hits one sideways - the unexpected certainly is the unexpected. My partner can no longer work due to multiple sclerosis which requires constant medical attention, visits to our family GP, specialists, blood tests, x-rays, prescriptions and I have a physically/intellectually disabled son employed casually paid well below the minimum wage topped up by the DSP who also requires quality medical attention - family GP, specialists, X-rays & prescriptions. I'm a glass half full, responsible, caring self-employed, educated, low income earner. Obviously their chronic illnesses affects my adaptability in todays constant state of flux. By the way, a basic home mortgage is not available due my fluctuating income and my partners illness. Square peg in a round hole. Abbotts mob have scrapped Labors small super co-contribution to low income earners which affects my son & myself. Although active, engaged & experienced I just fall into the ageism bracket. Perhaps I can apply for the $10,000 incentive to employ myself. The Medical Research Future Fund is smoke & mirrors, deliberate trickery to detract from the inequity and harshness of Hockeys budget for the big end of town and ripping 80 billion dollars from health & education Don't forget, ideologue Abbott voted against stem cell research and refuses to recognise 'real time' climate change, is removing environmental protection and perceives the poor, disabled & old as a burden. The temporary deficit tax on the richest is meaningless when my family and millions of Australians will be permanently hurt. 'You Can All Go To Hell' Hockey & rorter Abbott do not care; because we would never, ever vote for Abbotts mob & their arrogant, self-interest, backward-thinking destructiveness. Australians must reject this illegitimate government. Sent via GuardianWitness By
chippendale 14 May 2014, 14:19 The Lucky Country The federal budget sets about destroying what is great about Australia. The opportunities people have enjoyed that have supported good health, further education and provided a safety net to all when needed are at risk. Alterations of the Medicare scheme signal what is to come i.e. a dismantling of the provision of 'free' universally available healthcare. And the deregulation of universities that will lose 20% of their funding ultimately means education for the rich alone. The six-month waiting period for job seekers, is insane, cruel and simply unthinkable. The so-called lucky country with its belief in a 'fair-go' and the inherent value of each of its citizens is under attack by a neoliberal government. Let's stop the implementation of the measures detailed in this unfair budget. Let's keep Australia great. Sent via GuardianWitness By
bronski66 19 May 2014, 8:59 |