topic Re: HOOKED on welfare in Community Spirit

HOOKED on welfare

nero_bolt — Wed, 21 May 2014 22:38:25 GMT

NSW Disability Support Pensioners now outnumber Australia’s total war wounded by more than 44,000

Almost 20,000 people have joined the disability welfare line in the past three years
Since 2001, successful mental health claims for the DSP have jumped from 140,965 to 256,380
The federal electorates of Cowper, Richmond and Page are in the top 15 DSP hot spots in Australia

ONE in 10 people in some NSW regions is now relying on the disability support pension, with statistics showing almost 20,000 people, the equivalent of five Australian Army brigades, joined the disability welfare line in the past three years.

Despite the federal government’s attempts to rein in the ballooning costs of the $15 billion disability pension fund, of which NSW leads the country in claimants, 2500 people across the country continue to make new applications for the payment every week.

And while the number of physical injury claims under the DSP have decreased, the number of claims relating to psychological and psychiatric conditions continues to climb at a record rate to make up almost one-third of all claims.

EDITORIAL: THE NATION CAN’T CARRY THIS UNFAIR BURDEN

ANDREW CLENNELL COMMENT: IT JUST DOESN’T ADD UP

Since 2001, successful mental health claims for the DSP have jumped from 140,965 (22.6 per cent of overall claims) to 256,380 (31.2 per cent of overall claims). In comparison, the number of musculoskeletal and connective tissue recipients decreased by almost 17,000 claims since 2010.

NSW leads the country in overall DSP claims with 270,415, followed by Victoria and Queensland.

As previously highlighted by The Daily Telegraph in 2011, the number of NSW disability support pension recipients outstrips the overall number of Australian servicemen and women injured in foreign conflicts since the 1880s.

The size of the number of DSP recipients in NSW is double that of Ukraine’s active army personnel and exceeds the population of Pacific Island states, including Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Regional NSW and western Sydney are fuelling welfare increases across the state, with more than 483,000 people now relying on payments from either DSP or Newstart Allowance, better known as the dole.

The state’s north coast, from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads, features prominently in the country’s most reliant welfare zones, with thousands of residents tapping into the nation’s $70 billion welfare pot.

The federal electorates of Cowper, Richmond and Page, along with four other NSW regions, are in the top 15 DSP hot spots in Australia.

In the Coffs Harbour area, statistics show an average of one in 9.9 eligible voters is on the DSP, which has a maximum payment of $766 a fortnight.

Further north, in Tweed Heads, Byron Bay and Nimbin, one out of every 13.5 eligible voters takes home a Newstart Allowance.

Sydney’s west has also emerged as a welfare wasteland, with the Labor-held seats of Fowler (Liverpool and Green Valley), Blaxland (Bass Hill, Merrylands and Fairfield) and Chifley (Mt Druitt, Doonside and Rooty Hill) combining to have 23,665 residents on the dole, the highest number in the state.

In Blaxland, held by Labor MP and potential future leader Jason Clare, an average of 1.49 taxpayer-funded payments are made for each of the electorate’s 100,284 eligible voters across 28 welfare categories.

Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said changes announced in the federal Budget would help people back into the workforce and help ease psychological pressure on jobseekers.

The DSP, an income support payment for people unable to work for 15 hours or more per week due to permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment, has seen a spike in recent years of psychological claims.

“More stringent payment conditions and activity requirements are essential to ensuring the sustainability of our income support payments. Support must be targeted to those in most need,” Mr Andrews said.

“Changes are designed to help people move into employment when they are able to do so. This is particularly important for young people, so they don’t become trapped in a lifetime of welfare dependency.”

The government has said that despite the slight increase in DSP recipient numbers over the past nine months, the grant rate has fallen.

Also, from July 1, compulsory work-focused activities for certain Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipients aged under 35 years will be enforced. In early 2012, the impairment tables for DSP recipients was revised to ensure those who can work are rehabilitated.

The federal Budget revealed the government will spend $46.4 million over five years reviewing the eligibility of DSP recipients under 35 who were granted the pension between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011, against the revised tables.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/nsw-disability-support-pensioners-now-outnumber-australias-total-war-wounded-by-more-than-44000/story-fni0xqrc-1226926318057

Re: HOOKED on welfare

azureline** — Wed, 21 May 2014 22:45:31 GMT

What would you like the disabled to do?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

freakiness — Wed, 21 May 2014 22:54:23 GMT

@azureline** wrote:
What would you like the disabled to do?

Do you know we have some disabled people here sometimes? And that some psoters ahvedisabled family members?

How about laying off the disabled for a while. Would you like to be greeted with this sort of attack each day if you're already living with a disability?

How many people live in NSW? What percentage get a disabl\ility support payment of some type?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

azureline** — Wed, 21 May 2014 22:56:09 GMT

@freakiness wrote:
@azureline** wrote:
What would you like the disabled to do?
Do you know we have some disabled people here sometimes? And that some psoters ahvedisabled family members?

How about laying off the disabled for a while. Would you like to be greeted with this sort of attack each day if you're already living with a disability?

How many people live in NSW? What percentage get a disabl\ility support payment of some type?

me?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

nero_bolt — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:12:27 GMT

Not going to happen as the people rorting the system is costing us the tax payers BILLIONS and taring the genuine DSP people with the same brush.

If they are genuine and need the DSP thats fine and I dont have a problem with that but I have a huge problem with the people theiving our tax dollars and claiming the DSP when they shouldn’t.

If you are happy paying for the billions of dollars that is being paid to people that dont deserve it then thats up to you, I am not and that money could go to help the genuine and the real needy.

So will I stop... NO I won’t as the left and so many in this country are hooked on welfare and think its their right that they get it.

Some one has to pay and as I am one of these people paying I have issues with that and the hand out and welfare mentality.

@freakiness wrote:
@azureline** wrote:
What would you like the disabled to do?
Do you know we have some disabled people here sometimes? And that some psoters ahvedisabled family members?

How about laying off the disabled for a while. Would you like to be greeted with this sort of attack each day if you're already living with a disability?

How many people live in NSW? What percentage get a disabl\ility support payment of some type?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

azureline** — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:25:27 GMT

can you show us these people who shouldn't be on it? and why?

(Not all disabilities are obvious to the people who don't live with them)

Re: HOOKED on welfare

freakiness — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:32:27 GMT

@azureline** wrote:
can you show us these people who shouldn't be on it? and why?
(Not all disabilities are obvious to the people who don't live with them)

Yes, I've noticed with people I worked with who have done years of physical work in a workplace that "innocuous" chemicals are used every day there is a lot of arthritis. Most of these people are younger than I would expect to suffer from such sypmtoms.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

azureline** — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:35:59 GMT

I have recently discovered that there is a possibility that the chemo I had, has caused my arthritic condition.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

purplecarrot-top — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:37:50 GMT

Lots of disabilities are not seen.

What has happened to compassion in this country? Cannot believe the nastiness of some. Of corse according to some all those who get any type of government payment are bludgers.

Old saying, " there but for the grace of God go I". I am not nasty by nature, but there are times when I do wish some of these accusers did end up in that situation.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

cherry*135 — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:43:46 GMT

Population of NSW - 7. 273 million ( 2012)

Re: HOOKED on welfare

daydream**believer — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:45:56 GMT

@purplecarrot-top wrote:
Lots of disabilities are not seen.

What has happened to compassion in this country? Cannot believe the nastiness of some. Of corse according to some all those who get any type of government payment are bludgers.

Old saying, " there but for the grace of God go I". I am not nasty by nature, but there are times when I do wish some of these accusers did end up in that situation.

BRAVO

Its just ignorrant people who live in their own ignorant little world

Re: HOOKED on welfare

fourandsixpants — Thu, 22 May 2014 01:21:04 GMT

What would you like the disabled to do?

..............................................................................................................

crawl under a rock probably.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

freakiness — Thu, 22 May 2014 01:36:31 GMT

@am*3 wrote:
Population of NSW - 7. 273 million ( 2012)

Does that mean that very roughly around 3% are on some sort of disability payment?

Does that include those on carer payments who care for them?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

cherry*135 — Thu, 22 May 2014 01:55:03 GMT

Yes, it would be around 3%. Not sure about carers.

These are ridiculous comparisons, as are the ones to Army brigades...what relevance do they have for a country with a population of 22+ million?

" The size of the number of DSP recipients in NSW is double that of Ukraine’s active army personnel and exceeds the population of Pacific Island states, including Vanuatu and New Caledonia."

Pop. of Vanuatu 247,262, New Caledonia similar.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

grumpy*cat*rocks — Thu, 22 May 2014 02:09:32 GMT

Nero, if you are going to copy and paste en masse can you at least sort out the fonts that end up being posted.

It is doing my eyes in having to squint as the text gets smaller and smaller as I read through your posts.

Simply highlight the text, select a font and font size and make it all the same.

My feeble eyes are getting eyestrain.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

*elizabeths-mum* — Thu, 22 May 2014 02:21:41 GMT

Mental Health problems are escalating so it follows that more people would be unable to work because of them. What would your recommendations be for better treatment, support and understanding so that more people are able to become fully functioning again, Nero?

Re: HOOKED on welfare

bluecat*dancing — Thu, 22 May 2014 03:18:37 GMT

It is not easy to be granted DSP. I needed a detailed report from both my gp and psychiatrist. I also had to have a work assessment done. I wonder how many DSP applications are declined? How many are rorting the system? The way that those of us who are on DSP are being discussed and used makes it seem that we should all just die so that we stop being such an inconvenience.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

freakiness — Thu, 22 May 2014 03:23:22 GMT

@bluecat*dancing wrote:
It is not easy to be granted DSP. I needed a detailed report from both my gp and psychiatrist. I also had to have a work assessment done. I wonder how many DSP applications are declined? How many are rorting the system? The way that those of us who are on DSP are being discussed and used makes it seem that we should all just die so that we stop being such an inconvenience.

I think Josh Fear, from the mental health network, just said about 40% of applicants get the support payment, either that or 40% are rejected. Either way it's clear it's not an easy process to get on the DSP.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

cherry*135 — Thu, 22 May 2014 03:32:40 GMT

Hooked on welfare is a title created by the OP.

Re: HOOKED on welfare

freakiness — Thu, 22 May 2014 05:01:14 GMT

Oh lookie here. All those people must be earning a bit on the side as stock photo models

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=85396711&src=id