Well, what about it, Joe Hockey? You have just said that work is the best welfare and here is our most disadvantaged group of people just trying to get ahead. Are you going to give them a go or keep them poor and dependent for life

Well what do you know.

Another welfare recipient more interested in maximising the amount they can sponge off the taxpayer, rather than earn as much as possible, & reduce their load on others.

Welcome to the real world of welfare buddy. Do you really think it is only you that face transition problems when moving to a self supporting style of life. The problem is the same for able bodied recipients, & also for parents paying child care.

The bucket of money has to serve more than just you. Just look outside of your own little life & you might notice many of those providing your welfare are no better off than you.

Time to get off bitching, & to try living. A little thank you for all you do get would be nice too.

Hard to argue against any of this! Particularly given I am permanently partially disabled.
I just don't understand different treatment for different people.
Yes sure, becoming blind is extremely incapacitating, and where you need to rely on others for almost everything, including something as basic getting the food on the plate into the mouth, or nails cut?
Consequently, they have the most generous tax treatment of all the benefits.
Cerebral palsy, also comes in quantitative incapacitates, that are nonetheless, hard to actually quantify, particularly when there are good days and bad days, and sadly, people bunging on an act that seems to disappear, when they believe they're alone.
And while one might be able to count these professional bludgers on the fingers of one hand, they spoil it for everyone else; as do those who collect multiple pensions under a number of assumed aliases?
Imagine if we had an expenditure tax; or, applied the GST to everything? Benefits could be far more generous, perhaps even double! Allowing the federal government to give all the disadvantaged a far fairer shake!
And given all would still pay their share of an expenditure tax/GST, able to also earn as much income as their disability will allow, with the blind simply not limited at all?
Even so, there are disabilities, that make just doing what needs to be done to get by, more difficult than being blind, particularly if you're born that way?
But given recent advances, allowing many to overcome the disadvantages!
Like bionics and genetics in combination, granting a possible level of sight, not previously available?
Profound disability is cruel, and benefits and tax treatment on very modest allowable incomes, just needs to be changed. But not too much, given two can live nearly as cheaply as one. The fiddge doesn't use less electricity nor the stove, just because you are alone, nor the car or mower less petrol, etc/etc!
However, we are not Nazis, and those born different, just don't need the state to be rolling out further disadvantages, or "bureaucratic solutions", that turn life into a virtual prison, indefinitely!
Rhrosty.

It has been said that a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest. Disability Support Pension is supposed to help Australia's most vulnerable people and a growing number of struggling people with genuine disabilities are being denied support. Having personally experienced the brutal and inhumane appeal process when a Disability Support Pension is cancelled I believe it is time the government stopped demonising and persecuting Australia's disabled. Even those disabled who want to work but require some temporary support via the DSP are being forced onto Newstart where they end up struggling to survive.

Australia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 17 July 2008 but numerous newspaper articles suggest this holds very little weight for people with disabilities in Australia. This Convention is meaningless if the government fails to support it.

I believe the Government should take a totally different view of disabled people and instead of persecuting and demonising them they should seek to support and nurture them so they could contribute more to society. Some of the world's most famous people had or have disabilities. Examples are Vincent Van Gogh, Beethoven, Stephen Hawking and Helen Keller. It is well known that some of those who survive serious accidents turn into some of the best business people. Brendon Burchard was injured in an accident when he was young. Richard Branson suffered dyslexia. Some of the greatest political leaders had disabilities. Franklin Roosevelt had a mobility impairment. Even Richard Lalor who led the Eureka Stockade which brought the birth of democracy to Australia suffered disability.

The government only consulted with one if not two disabled people with the "lived" experience when they implemented the new Disability Impairment Tables for the DSP in 2012. The assessment process employed by Centrelink is fraught with issues some detailed in the Taylor Fry Report relating to the implementation the Tables. This is unacceptable.

It is time for this government to stop and consider the opinions of those who could, if given the opportunity, become some of the most valuable members of Australian society.

justicefordisabled@iinet.net.au

Come off it Justice for Disabled, this bloke has a Masters of Laws Degree from the Australian National University. Who the hell do you think paid for that.

How dishonest is it to take as place in university, & cost the taxpayer a fortune, if you do not plan on using that education to earn a living, & pay back your HECS debt. Someone who would have used the education to do just that, missed out to enable this bloke to gain his education.

Rhrosty if you can't see well enough to feed yourself, how do you partake of this forum?

David...I admire your dedication and devotion in this matter, with understanding all must or should be allocated with-in a fair society....

"I know only too well that the current Disability Support Pension policies do not support this as much as they should"

Dave....Its the same old story that's been going on for as long as humans with their "moral" commitments, but your not the only one with their hand out for what your standing for....but keep up the good work, cause at least someone cares.

PS...This is the best system we have at this time...maybe if our leaders could avoid being in the red....the black will become the light.

Good luck.

Kat