“Many receiving the Disability Support Pension could work if they wanted and are instead rorting the system”
In light of the Coalition government’s vigorous campaign to significantly cut the Disability Support Pension, this myth has become quite widespread. However, there is considerable amount of evidence against it.
Firstly, before Tony Abbott became Prime Minister it was already very difficult to get on the Disability Support Pension. Ever since the Gillard Government significantly tightened the eligibility of the DSP by introducing a new ‘impairment table’ in 2011, over the last few years a large number of people with significant disabilities have been pushed on the inadequate Newstart payment. According to estimates, under the new ‘impairment table’ 40% of DSP recipients would no longer be eligible. As a result of this harsh attitude toward DSP recipients, one in four on Newstart (around 170,000 people) have a “significant disability”.
In fact, it has become so hard to be accepted onto the DSP payment that a number of severely disabled people have been denied access. One of these cases is Prue Hawkins (pictured below). Despite having Brittle Bone Disease and being unable to walk for fear of breaking her legs, in 2014 Ms. Hawkins was told by Centrelink she was no longer eligible for the DSP.
Once again, however, the Coalition government have decided to ignore all the evidence contradicting this ‘crackdown’ on the DSP and continue to force people like Ms Hawkins off the DSP. As a result, it is estimated that the Coalition government is forcing more 1500 people per month off the DSP and onto the Newstart rate – which is about $166 less per week. Furthermore, in October 2014 the Coalition government’s plan to review all Disability Support Pensioners under 35 passed the Senate with the support of the Labor Party. Under this plan, around 30,000 young Disabled people will have their cases reviewed by government appointed doctors, using the tougher impairment table introduced by the Gillard government.
I worked for 10 years as a support worker. This ranged from low care to high care. Most people with disabilities, if required to work, would need a support worker with them, unless of course the boss was willing to support the person themselves or have one of the other workers support them.
If the support worker had to go with the person, then the company would be paying the wages of 2 people (i don’t think the boss would want to do this) or the government would have to foot the bill for the support worker so where would the savings be???? It will actually cost more!!!!
If the government said that the person with the disability is capable of working with out their support worker, this would be degrading them, place then in danger and/or be a non productive worker. Either way it is the person with a disability that would suffer.
Any person with a disability would love to work IF THEY COULD. They wish to be included into society and feel useful and valued. In this situation, they would loose all of that.
This would be a disgrace!!!
A long time ago I worked for DSS (now Centrelink), and read the file of an Invalid Pensioner (now DSP recipient). He was dobbed in a couple of times for working, and each time referred to the Commonwealth Medical Officer, who each time returned the same decision – the guy was not fit to work. The file stopped suddenly when the Invalid Pensioner died suddenly in his early 50’s. He really wasn’t fit to work, but sometimes managed to do a bit.
I was granted DSP in April 2014 for Meniere’s Disease which is a balance and hearing disorder that is progressive and incurable. My husband became ill and died in 2006 and it was the stress that I was under during this period that seems to have been the trigger for it. I was in full time employment when my husband passed away and continues in this job until Aug 2012 despite becoming more and more debilitated. I left that job because the stress involved was becoming too much and I was being severely effected by it. I was lucky in that I have an uncommon skill (I am a reasonably good groomer) and was able to gain part time work within 2 months. I still work as a part time groomer (declaring my income to centrelink) as with a $200.00 per week mortgage I cannot live solely on DSP. To be able to cover my bills, electricity, gas, phone, rates) I have to put aside $250.00 per week on top of the $200/week mortgage, this leaves me nothing to buy food or petrol with. I have worked hard all my life to be able to purchase my home (I am over 50) and I have paid taxes but now I am labelled a “leaner” because I have an illness that I have no control over. I should not be working, I am exhausted beyond belief every day, but I cannot afford not to have that little extra income. The government treats pensioners and the unemployed with scorn and contempt while politicians claim exorbitant pensions when they leave politics. How about giving pensioners a living wage!
I’m mentally ill (chronic endogenous depression with co-morbid anxiety and suicidal ideation), which means I have what our previous Social Security minister referred to as an “episodic condition”. I’ve been told (by someone working for the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service, no less – and who said he was trained as a psychologist) that chronic depression “doesn’t exist” – that the only form of depression which really exists is situational, reactive depression. I’ve also been told (by the manager of an Employment Service Provider which was providing services to me under Disability Employment Services criteria) that the mentally ill are all malingerers and slackers. Because, of course, I don’t look sick. I don’t need a wheelchair, or a white stick, or hearing aids, or a walking frame or anything like that. So I can’t possibly be suffering from a serious illness which is capable of severely debilitating my capacity to work for about seven weeks every year (it’s very hard to work, somehow, when you’re busy trying to persuade your brain that no, you don’t want to go out and play in the traffic, or slit your wrists, or walk to South Africa from Perth, or take all of the medication in the house at once washed down with whatever spirits you can find, or whichever other fun method of killing myself my brain has come up with this time). Because I don’t look sick.
But employers won’t hire me, because firstly, I have multiple gaps in my employment history (caused by a series of nervous breakdowns – none of them required hospitalization, but all of them required convalescence time) and secondly, I haven’t got the sorts of qualifications or experience that they’re looking for (which is a combination of nervous breakdowns, and a weird and wonderful life and employment history – I actually dropped out of one degree because I was offered a full-time job).