http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-28/will-work-for-the-dole-increase-your-chances-of/5630302

From this article today, which you may have seen on television today if you watch ABC.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-28/government-reveals-details-of-dole-overhaul/5627660

Now watch the video again considering these details which you may have missed:

1) Food was being delivered to people who would otherwise go hungry.

This means poverty is severe and welfare is clearly failing. This generally means there are very limited prospects for employment in this area because money is simply not flowing in this community.

2) Tons of food was being transported,  in particularly vegetables and bread. Question is why aren’t these products being sold in supermarkets? Are supermarkets simply squeezing out  local manufacturers?

3) The young woman (Stacey Binns) was working for no payment.

This means no amount of work she was doing would increase her disposable income, and would not start money flowing in her community. Therefore what she was really doing was being forced to perpetuate the poverty in her community.

4) The young woman (Stacey Binns) quite rightly pointed out that there are hundreds of application for every job advertised. Her chances are slim of getting out of the poverty trap deliberately created around her.

5) This is one of 18 high unemployment areas around Australia where this scheme has been rolled out this month and already the federal government wants to expand the scheme further making it nationwide by July 2015.

6) The government will spend 900 Million dollars rolling out this scheme, that’s almost  enough to send a rover to the surface of Mars. It well known that these schemes are generally not successful and actually if anything reduce the chances of transition from welfare to work.

7) 900 Million dollars is enough money to give 18,000 people 50, 000 for one year, I think 18,000 people having a basics income would generate more jobs than a downward economic spiral. The almost 1 Billion dollars will be wasted on a variety of corporate scumbags lining up for a hand out while attacking people on benefits.

8) Work for the dole or ‘help and hassle’ welfare schemes only really function when the economy is super hot and unemployment is extremely low (2% or less), not when unemployment is well above 5%.

9) All of this has been tried before and even without the stipulation to engage in slave labor, when there are no jobs no amount of looking for them will be successful.

Proof? (Warning kiwi accents.)

I cant try any harder!

-A young man shows quite succinctly by canvassing numerous Auckland suburbs that the jobs were simply not there.

The clip is from a much larger series by Alistair Barry which you can find links to here:

https://occupymelbourne.net/2014/05/21/australia-2014-copies-new-zealand-1984/

Don’t be too impatient give it a few minutes, you are practically looking at a working crystal ball, everything you are seeing now in the Australian economy was tried in New Zealand 25 years ago. The result was a disaster, by the time the right wing neo-con government was voted out off office in 1999 , the economy was shrinking at 2% though strangely the government  statistics department was claiming it was growing at 2%. Though that is a separate scandal in itself which strangely got very little media traction. Of course this all happened while most western economies were booming, showing how much of a complete failure it was to improve the economy.

This of course was simply a tactic to reduce the average wage and introduce a whole new strata of New Zealand society to a lower standard of living ,and quite a  few to abject poverty. Interestingly this right wing government launched a radical slashing of welfare just after assuming office on a strong majority after a lack luster two term Labour government with leadership changes in the dying days, sounds too bloody familiar.

Inflation note:

For reference in 1991 $50 NZD was worth about $86NZD in today’s money. The inflation problems experienced in Australia in the 90’s had already happened in NZ in the 80’s. Food prices are comparable with Australian prices though meat is about 20% less expensive due to exceptional livestock rearing climate (fertile soil, lack of drought and neither too hot or cold most years). Beer and other alcohol is 50% cheaper due to much lower excises, personally I think if it wasn’t the country would be empty and Bondi  Beach would be full. New Zealand actually produces enough food to feed itself and all of Australia, a good reason to be in the good books with the bloody kiwis, or at least have a comprehensive invasion plan.