Social security works very well for the bludgers of society, they have all the excuses and ways to get payments for 20+ yrs. Subsidised housing, public transport tickets etc. Family after family of them.
It is and always WILL be a balance. One hand it must discourage handouts and encourage work or getting better, flip side, not your fault, laid off age 55, 30 years in and around an industry with skill n loner valid. Retrain, age 57 who employs you ? You get sick, not sick enough to be disabled at $270 a week ... not well enough to work ,. The level of NEwstart is TOO low. Not much but its too low to sustain life outside living on the streets .
Balance ... and compassion .. but mixed with practical and pragmatic velvet covered gloves with teeth to steer and assist them back to work if possible.
We swing between to absurdly loose, which is rare in the last 40 years to a person being injured at work expecting to have Workcover insurance pay, only to be denied when a video exists of the crane falling on the poor bugger ,,, NO dispute there ,,, but it takes 3 years till ruled upon, they win hands down ... in the meantime an income of say $100 a week goes to $270 and even that does not occur usually till 6 months latter when all savings are gone and they realize its a game.
Sent to Workcover doctors I helped one guy, lost all his fingers, farm worker, no dispute they are gone, other arm crushed, low education. Claim after 6 months denied. It was won, payments and help for a while but aged 50, limited one hand and help stopped, offered 50k til age 67. Doctors insurance ones even denied injury, which the arbitrator at workcover dismissed on sight. NO penalty to insurer working for NSW goverment, in fact paid a bonus to DENY the claim and defend it .... for denying payments after 6 months when it got to court 3 years latter. NONE. No penalty for destroying the life, relationship and finances of so so many.
By denying the claim, and these types, and doing so, half with claims evaporate, 99% end up on welfare without treatment till in many cases too late. Not in this case as any recover is not really possible back to full health or close to it, In the meantime, deny 100 valid claims likely to cost 200 k, deny again and again, cost to insurance doctors and lawyers and bonus to Insurer acting supposedly on the NSW Government best behavior. In the case of NSW workcover, it slashed its cover, denied all payments beyond 5 years, denied nearly 100% of some cases and hey presto Federal govt foots a medical bill for recovers and income support ..... meanwhile NSW govt workcover finances went from 3 billion BEHIND and underfunded to 3 billion in surplus.
thank you NSW liberal party and Mr Andrew Constance.
This is the same with every workcover insurer in Australia.
TPD insurance was covered at the banking stuff.
Total Permanent disability if you get injured at work ... same thing different stripes. Most claims were like workcover denied and denied and denied. CBA stories harrowing, Westpac a disgrace ... you pay the premium and some guy with truck rolling and him being unable even to speak, denied .... paraplegic and valid insurance policy denied denied denied.
until something bad happens to you, or someone you love .... have some compassion. Getting benefits is not a lifestyle or income level one would enjoy. There are adequate forms or training given to unemployed. Disabled, to be declared under age 67 disabled is a process that is both complex and involves teams of doctors verifying injuries and so on. If you say have cancer, stage 4 or 5, its still going to take 5- months for approval and since its likely terminal, the cancer, Newstart is given at say $270 a week verses $380 full pension. Hardly what I would call ... much to live on.
It is however CRUCIAL if your sick, breast cancer, leukemia or so on.
Dole bludgers, well ... at $270 a week and an employment provider needed and retraining and support and needing to apply for 4 ? 5 ? with evidence of applying for jobs, hardly the life its made out to be. Food .. rent ... forget it ... oh rent assistance at half the rent ... so $100 - of $270 is gone ... car ... fuel ... food ... clothes ... mortgage ... or credit card or debts ...
I have taken the time, for free to assist various people over the years and with various issues from legal to workcover and so on. Its nice, in your warm fuzzy world of things going ok to forget, at times ... stuff happens.
Sure a minority ... yes ... rorts or not valid. Others and the vast majority a safety net to catch life's curve balls. Thinking it will never happen to you, is a wish. Even with savings, being hit with an accident at work, a mortgage and a family and $1,000 income a week going to zero, bills increasing via medical ones, NOT a cent coming in till you realize its a game lf insurers or banks to deny claim till contested, you likely even if really smart only get lawyers till 6 months latter, or 50k plus in various outgoings, income now $270- bills 1k a week ...
Allianz recently denied a ladys claim from an admitted sexual predator at work and his accomplice, a confession signed by them ,,, Insurers paid a massive bonus for denial ... despite signed confession. All up bonus paid to insurer ...medical Insurance doctor and so on .,.. 100k .... plus, with an operation for the physical injury and counseling likely 100% she would be back at work aged 45. working for 20 years. Instead a treatable injury not treated , mentally persecuted and in
fact stalked and threatened by sexual pervert and predator mate after the injury and after signed confession given, she never will work again, physical side now operation is less than 20% chance or working verses 90% and 50% it makes matters worse. I might add Human Rights sexual commission which is the Federal court side of the issue accepted the case on a record initial 7 breaches of the act and then 9. It was settled out of court mind you ... not for much ... but ... best that could have been expected.
Without some soul like ME doing the legal side for free ... NET gain ... zero ... in fact despite my efforts and eventual wins ... Allianz now replaced by another agent insurer for NSW goverment ... denies liability in fact blocks it and the court ... NSW workcover is s sham. A joke ...
By denying 100 claims likely to cost if paid till age 67 now ... only 5 years cover ... cost would have been say 1 million plus Deny them with vengeance even with me fighting 10 law firms ... she got decent cover for 5 years all be NO operation as that was blocked and due to 18 months going past which is now 5 years, operation success less and less likely .... money wise they saved themselves 900 k. Most GIVE up. Most either suicide ... or are given opioids to mask pain verses operation much like the USA.
Instead of 20 years working, paying tax ... likely less than 12 months for an operation ... a woman sexually abused threatened and physically injured as a result of work, well ... Disability pension .,, in extreme pain for 20 years till retirement and old age pension ... to be sexually harassed and then STALKED and THEN threatened ... after the event let alone years prior to it ... stuff me.
Nothing is perfect .... But all workcover systems do this NOW in Australia and a lot fall to the safety net ... cost the NSW side made 6 billion in 3 years by changing an already grossly unfair system into ... a joke of denial which instead of NO fault just fix them ... and 7000 private investigators following claims each year resulted in 3 ... cases ... of fraud ... 3 each year out of 7,000 private eyes with cameras gives you some idea of HOW many are false, the long term ones. Loose an arm ? Its worth 25k .... I kid you not. An eye ? 17 k. I would PAY ... not to have it occur.
So sorry to be blunt ... NOTING is perfect.
It has to BE a hurdle of course to sort out the rorts, but seriously injured or those in NEED and DIRE need are the vast majority. To suggest any sane person wants $270 a week to live on is insulting.
Whilst my own community service comes in various forms, my life blessed in some many ways, I font look down my nose at those less well off. Dont rush too fast to judgement. Those who are homeless or down on their luck, even at times addicted to opioids especially in the USA, its more about an insurer and healthcare costs there, that an operation here being 20k is 200k there and the health insurer gives only approval for an opiod costing $500- a year verses a full recovery likely 90% of the time neck or back operation costing too much ..., one opioid pill dulls the pain ... two for a very bad day .... three your off your face .... and 4 YOUR DEAD.
We are thankfully less inhumane than the USA to its sick or poor or less well off. In some ways we are the same and shamefully so !!