The Record Newspaper 23 August 1990

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PERTH, WA: August 23, 1990

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. WAR 0202

Budget will hit the people who are struggling

Number 2702

POST ADDRESS: PO Box 50, Northbridge, 6000 W.A. LOCATION: 26 John St, Northbridge (east off Fitzgerald St).

TELEPHONE: (09) 328 1388

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10,

Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission statement

Mr Paul Keating . . . the Treasurer.

A Commission statement said: "The Commission is concerned about the extra pressures the Budget (along with wage restraint and high interest rates) places on families, especially lower-income and larger families. "Apart from restrictions in eligibility for family allowance and family allowance supplement, the great majority of families will be hit by the rise from $11 to $15 for pharmaceutical prescriptions. "While the Government commendably has sought to cushion the effect of the $2.50 prescription charge for pensioners, no commensurate compensation is provided for families. "Families also will not be given anything to offset reduced unemployment benefits for 18-

20 year olds (as well as juniors) living at home.

low nsensitive Paul Keating's Budget was virtually insensitive to the needs of people who are struggling.

••

The Budget has made no allowance for these people "at a time when homelessnms and family breakdown are major social problems". The Budget will also hit a great majority of families by the rise in pharmaceutical charges. These are the views of the Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission. The Commission said it was disturbed about the effects the Budget changes will have on social security recipients and families. While agreeing that public assistance should be directed to, and only to those genuinely in need, the Commission felt the Budget did nothing to alleviate the problems of those in need.

"The sacrifices being made by families in supporting dependants (whether children, youth, or aged or invalid relatives) virtually seem to be ignored. Yet it is families, through the entry in the paid workforce of married women in record numbers, who have largely made the Budget surplus possible. "At a time when the Commonwealth is seeking to reduce the number of persons it supports, it should recognise that families are expected to fill the gap. Reform of the income tax systems to give due recognition to the support of family dependants is long overdue. "A just tax system must recognise the costs of caring for dependants and those with disabilities. Such reform would enable social security assistance to be better directed to those most in need."

We've been deceived!

"Those of us who believed the Labor Government's election promise that they would retain overseas aid at a real level have been deceived," Michael Whiteley, National Director of Australian Catholic Relief, said. "The Government, in subsequent statements confirmed the promise, but in the budget last night has implemented the policy of the Liberal Party and cut the aid budget in real terms by around $100 million. To pretend that this is not the case, as the Budget papers attempt to do, is to continue this deception.

Mr Michael Whiteley.. . . ACR director.

"The fact is that the real level of aid last year was $1263 million taking into account the early payment of World Bank and

Asian Development Bank commitments of make real cuts in overseas aid is appalling. $100 million. "The other despicable feature, andI use "The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the word advisedly, is that the cuts in the AIDAB officials openly admit this. To aid budget are in the areas that directly hit maintain this real level of aid would have the poorest people overseas — refugees, required a budget allocation of around victims of disasters, those whom local NGOs are assisting. $1350 million. "The funds are being used instead to "The aid budget has been slashed and this action has provided almost 10% of Mr support institutions whose affect on the Keating's savings, about which he was so quality of life of the poor have been demonstrated to be negative. proud last night. "The powerless poor overseas have once "At least the Liberal Party accepted this again been asked by the ALP to bear the and indicated that, while they were to cut brunt of the cost of maintaining our aid, those sections of the aid budget that standard of living. The action of the ALP directly impacted on the poor would be in maintaining its policy of continuing to increased."

Inactive priests want to make comeback

at children's inter-church liturgy

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Big show


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