Family First Candidate, Gaye James has thrown down the gauntlet to the Government to follow through on its word.
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard enforced a change from the Single Parent Payment to a lower Newstart allowance which would save the Government $728 Million over 4 years. On the 28thJune 2013, current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, in a weeks time we will address this issue and it was understood he would reverse this policy and ensure there were increases made to Newstart allowances.
Well Prime Minister Rudd, what have you been discussing in the last 8 weeks. No change to the policy has been announced and was it just a ploy to gain a large number of votes from the tens of thousands of single parents throughout the country.
What are we to think of a Government that makes false promises before an election. A Government that is being guided by its Political agenda and not Democratic agenda. A Government that wants single parents to work, but are not creating jobs for them to go to. A Government that has its eyes set on doing whatever it takes to win the next election, but in doing so forgotten the people it’s governing.
This is not a “Woe is me” plight for single parents Gaye James says, but sadly a critical requirement for a balanced and more efficient Australia for the future. No single parent would have thought they would be raising a family on their own, so why should they struggle because of circumstnces beyond their control.
Parents have a duty of care to their children and if the Government cannot support these essential requirements due to spending cuts in all the wrong areas, something needs to be done to change this.
James went on to say, that excess Government spending over the last 3 years is having a massive negative impact on the people of Australia. Recent statistics show that about 2.2 Million Australians live in poverty and with fewer jobs to go to, struggling families are being hit the hardest.
Prime Minister Rudd, you are 8 weeks behind schedule with reinstating the Single Parent Payment and it only took you a week to implement the Asylum Seeker Policies with PNG and Naru. Where are your Governments priorities in all of this Mr Rudd? It would be nice to see that in a week’s time you will be reinstating the Single Parent Payment and provide the Australian people with some faith in the current Government and the word of a Prime Minister.
Family First Candidate, Gaye James
