Welfare Blog

Australians and their governments aren’t investing enough in people with disabilities

For some time I have been considering relocating to Rhodes in Greece from Australia and dropping my Australian citizenship and replace it with a Greek citizenship even though I am born an Australian but am very unhappy and ashamed to be an Australian.

The Australian and state governments doesn’t seem to be investing enough in people with disabilities and the people of Australia seem to think that sending people with disabilities to nursing homes is the best way to save costs. Also the people and the governments believe that cutting costs and services would ensure that people would get the best outcome by doing things nasty and cheap and that is why governments in Australia CANNOT be trusted to manage the affairs that the people with disabilities are most concerned about.

As the NSW people rightly point out, neither ALP or Coalition governments deserve to be in government because they cannot be trusted to manage the affairs in relation to people with disabilities and that is not just in NSW, but all of Australia as well and I am sure the voters in other states and territories hold the same view as the voters in NSW. Anyway the pollies all around Australia seems to be more interested In looking after their own pockets rather than the welfare of people with disabilities.

For too long I have been confronted with a prospect of getting care for a few hours for a fee from various services and made to put on a waiting list, and in my view that is not the way to ensure that people with disabilities has a good quality life. I had to do without care because I cannot afford it and I am not impressed with the care they deliver in Australia.

I have found out that several European and American countries do offer good quality care and has invested more in people with disabilities as mentioned in various sources, and that has sparked renewed interest to move overseas because I believe that I will be assured of good quality care should I relocate overseas.

Also I believe that people would get the best outcome they wanted if society and governments are prepared to invest more in people deserving of help. But so far Australians and the governments of Australia seem to be putting people with disabilities last on their priorities and are more concerned about saving money rather than worrying about the welfare of people with disabilities.

My comments may anger Australians but I feel society and governments need a good wake-up call as I start to consider tearing up my Australian citizenship and my pension to make way to fast track my relocation to Greece.

I have the right to tear up my Australian citizenship even though I am born in Australia and I don’t want the Australian government to bear any more responsibility for my welfare as I am no longer proud to stay in Australia because I am extremely angry with the way that both ALP and coalition governments has dealt with the issues in relation to the people with disabilities. My family is Australian but that doesn’t stop me from considering tearing my Australian citizenship because I am extremely angry and fed up with the system here in Australia.

National Service should be reintroduced

The government in 1972 in Australia made a big mistake to abolish National Service in Australia, and we should all be lobbying for John Howard to bring back National Service.

Keeping those on Newstart and making them face up to mutual obligation is not the answer to the ills of society.

What Australia really needs is a reintroduction of a program otherwise known as National Service to make able bodied jobless people join the army on a mandatory basis.

There are too many able bodied people without jobs under the influence of drugs and alcohol and they should be dragged, screaming and forced to attend the army and made to stay there until they find jobs.

The army, and not the streets is the right place for most jobless people who could work.  And it should be compulsory for jobless people to turn up at the army, with the exemption being the genuine disabled.

I see able bodied people posing as patients with hospital tags in the local shopping centre, and I am angry these people are automatically getting respite care free of charge when they should be out there contributing to society.  I don't want people to tell me they need services they don't need, I want to see them out there serving in the army.

If we could introduce National Service for most jobless people we will all be better off because the services that the people don't need are finally transferred to people that really need the services.

If the jobless people have to leave home and their families to join the army due to a compulsory law that is tough luck, but it is better for them to be in the army rather than being on the street and having no job and no income.

Finally they would come back as better behaved citizens and they would have developed a lot of skills for their future.

William Walker