Like many others, I was really angry and upset to hear the budget on Tuesday night.
I think it’s annoying to be told we’re “entitled” by people who come from a generation where university was actually free.
I think it’s annoying that they presume disabled people don’t want to work.
I’m annoyed on so many levels because if they want to fix things, cutting money only makes people less able to get jobs and contribute “properly” to their precious fucking economy.
If they want disabled people to work, if they want people with chronic diseases to work, then why aren’t they working WITH those people to find jobs that have suitable flexibility?
I’m sure if you’re on the Federal MP base salary of $195,130.00 then a $7 co-payment for GPs and pathology is totally doable. I’m equally sure that if you’re low income, $7 is a lot and you will be unable to go to the doctor when you need to.
What scares me is that I believe people will die if this budget goes ahead. I hope no one does, but I can’t see how it’s unavoidable.
As a household that includes a person with chronic disease, I wonder if any of these MPs have consdiered how many GP and specialist visits that means. And what it means to do them on a limited income. And what it means to go through what we are right now, trying to find a new GP because we don’t think our GP is truly investigating what is wrong.
I hope the charities can cope. I don’t think they will be able to.
I hope those “suspended coffees” can apply to doctors surgeries and pathologists so that maybe a few more people can keep getting check ups.
But what I would love to know is how do I fix this? How can this not happen?
I’d love to be able to help. But as a household with me, my husband with confusing chronic disease and a dog with two illnesses, living on my fixed term, 20 hour a week job…I don’t see how I can help fix this when I’m barely scraping by.
So far the only two good things I’ve heard are funding for youth mental health and the Bruce Highway upgrades.
How do you think we can help? How do you think we can fix this? Have you heard of any other good things in the 2014 budget?
So far I’ve seen two things the individual can do – protest (March in May in your city) an lobby your local MP ( and any others you feel like I guess). I don’t think we can pin our hopes on a double dissolution but I do hope the budget will be vigorously opposed in the senate, meaning it then requires changes. Good things: Toowoomba Range Crossing, PPL, medical research fund!