Support Single Parents and Help Defend the Safety Net
Australian Single parents are uniting and marching on – or meeting at – Parliament Houses around Australia to protest low-income single parents being moved from the Parent Payment Single welfare payment to the greatly reduced Newstart Allowance.
This current policy reduces many Australian single parent family incomes significantly, forcing single parents and their children into poverty, regardless of if they are working already or not.
Australian single parent protest rallies are taking place around Australia on the national day of action – February 5 2013
Date & Time: February 5th at 11am
Venue: Martin Place, Macquarie Street, Sydney
Newcastle Rally Details:
Meet at: Centrelink office, King Street When: 9:30am, marching to Grierson’s office to arrive 11AM SHARP After: Public meeting at Newcastle Trades Hall, Devonshire Land 11:30am
Brief briefing on sole parents
Our priority job is parenting our children.
Good sole parenting takes time
Paid jobs that fit children’s time needs are scarce
So please can we have enough to live decently?
Poverty makes job hunting too expensive
Note! there is no evidence that more sole parents are employed because of these policy changes (ABS) so cancel them!
Parents affected by these cuts were already expected to participate in work when their child turns six, so the change and cuts are futile as no extra support is on offer to find and keep jobs
Changes we need
- Restore all sole parents with children in primary school to Parenting Payment levels of income and retain the original taper rates
- Explore the needs of parents with children at high school and fix the lack of care options before cutting their payments
Why raise payments
- these payments recognise parenting time is still important for children over 8
- the level is already tight but can be just enough to live on and look for work
- the payment levels make it worthwhile to take on part time work
- It reinstates 10,000 already employed sole parents who lose all support
What else needs changing?
- Recognise the shortage of suitable jobs and employer prejudice
- Wider recognition of other parental social contributions,
- Review fixed hours of paid work to fit the needs of children
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