"Survey of 1,495 children across 638 households; of these more than half (54%) experienced severe deprivation", says Paul.

What did their parents take their mobile phone off them, because they were costing $100 a week in phone bills?

And they couldn't afford a hobby for gods sake. Yep the poor taxpayer is supposed to stand outside the grog shop, to make sure the parents coming out can still afford a hobby for their kids. Oh what a grand world this socialist world is, personal responsibility not required, someone else will pay.

Then we have ACOSS, what a bunch of self serving youbos they are. Any more than a casual examination will show their only interest is more social workers, at higher pay rates. That of course requires more welfare cases in need. So what do their surveys find? Yep you guessed it.

Every time another university turns out yet another social worker, we have to find another 4 welfare cases to justify their education, & future employment. Aint socialism grand!

Bob Hawke, in true socialist fashion, sure spent a lot of other people's money on no-hopers, didn't he. And, he still didn't manage to keep his 'promise'. In the same socialist fashion, Malcolm Turnbull is spending a lot of other people's money on no hopers (Gonski 2.0) - soon to be followed by Snowy 2.0 - and NDIS, complaints about which we hear nightly on TV. Soon we will have NDIS 2.0, which means throwing more of other people's money at another failed pipe dream with 0.0 results.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

Yes, those who have kids are anxious about the welfare of the next generation - this is completely natural.

But one needs to think not just about the next generation, but also about the next after that and the next and the next over the long term. Also one needs to think not only of the material well-being of future generations, but also about their spiritual welfare and having a meaning to their life.

Sooner or later this pattern of population growth must stop and be reversed. If not in the our generation then in the next or the one after that. Sometime there will be a major crisis and the larger the population at the time, the deeper that crisis. But naturally people do not want this crisis to occur in the lifetime of their children or grandchildren which they already know and love personally.

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Dear Critic,

I am not imposing my beliefs on anyone - I share them, then you do what you like about it. If you decide to act counter to my advise, then your own children or grandchildren will suffer, that's up to you, because by then neither yourself nor myself will be around on this planet. There is no need to kill ourselves - nature takes care of that anyway.

From what I have read, much of childhood poverty is due to the poor spending decisions of their parents on pokies, booze and drugs, which is a strong argument for controlling welfare payments.

Well said Shadow Minister. I would like to see if poverty levels have risen or fallen with population increases or decreases. Or it it is more that the resources are being spend in an ill manner.

We could also just ask why certian needs are so expensive that some have to choose to not eat because they can't afford it. With modern technology shouldn't it be easier to live cheaply not more expensively?

A load of rubbish Shadow, where did you read that garbage in the 'Beat Up' Bolt column in your favorite rant the Murdoch gutter press, 'The Daily Telecrap'?

Hasbeen, why are you so jealous of anyone with a rudimentary education? Its not their fault if you missed out completely in the brains department.

Yuyutsu, to keep a reasonable balance of those capable of producing to support the growing army of non producers, particularity those non producers that refer to themselves euphemistically as "retired" really never to produce again. Would it not be better if for every new born hatched, two old farts were dispatched. And think of the asset acquisition such a beneficial scheme would entail. Not to mention the pension saving. Of course it would be preferable if the scheme operated on a voluntary basis, among persons 65 and over. The requirement would be around 600,000 souls per year for dispatching, to balance the 300,000 new bods being born. I am sure there would be plenty of elderly volunteers for the high jump so numbers will never be a problem.