Keeping Poor  

Its true that in a capitalist democracy for there to be a wealthy upperclass there must be a poor underclass. I was representing my local community in Wollondilly Shire from September 1995 to April 1999 when I was illegally dismissed by my Labor party majority fellow councillors. The Paul Keating Labor party held federal parliament from March 1993 to March 1996. John Howard's Liberal party took over from March 1996 to November 2007.

 

During my time as part of the governing executive of Wollondilly Shire Council, a long-term Labor left party member brought a motion to council about the affairs of federal parliament, in councillor general business. “General business” motions were put without notice by councillors after the Ordinary Council meetings and restricted to personal political issues or matters the councillor would like the Council staff to investigate where there was no delegated authority to do so. Hard lefty councillor Michael Banasik's motion was that Wollondilly Shire Council “support in principal” the disbanding of the Commonwealth Employment Service and replacing it with the Job Network Provider system we have today.

 

I stood and spoke against the motion on the grounds it was a federal government issue not a local council issue; and added that it would mean certain groups of unemployed people or specific individuals would be expressly disadvantaged by singling them out to never get a job, as the system was open to rorting and what the Labor party does best “jobs for the friends of Labor party.” My voice and descent was lost in the sea of approval the vote was carried. I soon discovered far left Banasik had been nominated by the Labor party as their delegate in the seat of Macarthur for an upcoming federal election in 1998.

 

The federal government implemented the system that was fully supported by both sides of parliament, Labor and Liberal from far left to far right all intent on keeping poor people poor through active discrimination in access to employment as only the Job Services Australia, job network provider can select who goes to the job interview for jobs that come through the federal government unemployment system which is estimated at 99% of available jobs.

 

In the ensuing 25 years I've never been full time employed. I've had a very few part time jobs well below my capabilities that I got myself, but I've never had any referral for any job interview from any Job Network Provider in all that time. I'm probably not the only one judging from some of the comments on one website, its federal government approved “best practice” to demonise and demoralise and bully the not-politically-connected unemployed people squeezed through federal government's Job Services Australia unemployment programs.

 

When you're in one of these Job Services Australia unemployment programs you're assigned to one person they call your “case worker” which is demoralising in itself. This one person is responsible for referring to a prospective employer for a job interview. In my experience, this one person has always been someone younger than me, usually young enough to be my child. Often still only ever been used to dealing with life in a school environment. They have no mature people with life experiences working in these positions which is one of many fatal errors.

 

Don't get me started on “Work for the Dole” and other “volunteer” programs alleged to give unemployed people experience to enter the work force. Were these activities created as paying jobs there would be less people on unemployment. The health system is propped up by a huge number of strictly SLAVE LABOUR masquerading as volunteers. Grrr.

 

You can read other people's experiences in the PDF HERE.

 

My personal experience apart from never being referred for a job “interview” includes:

 

Circa 2009, when aged about 53, I was overtly laughed at and mocked when I informed my MADEC Australia Noarlunga representative that I'd just passed my driving licence qualification as a MR class truck driver. He burst into laughter and said something like “Why would they give a MR licence to you?” When I complained formally to his boss in writing, the boss supported the actions of their staff. There was no apology.

 

Circa 2016, still unemployed despite having a MR licence, I was overtly laughed at and mocked when I informed my Workskil Australia representative that I'd not be needing another appointment as I was going to study full time. She asked me what I was going to study so I informed her I'd been accepted into university to study law degree. She burst into laughter and said something like “You're too stupid for that they would never accept you.” When I complained formally to her boss in writing, another woman, the boos supported the actions of her staff. There was no apology.

 

Recently on 16 September 2020 my Matchworks Noarlunga representative, a person who spoke the jargon as if he'd recently graduated from a university degree using the expression “unpack” as in 'unpack a process involving identifying my talents' to which amused me.

 

I had to ask him, “Did you just say unpack?”

He responded in the affirmative. I wanted to be sure as it sounded like an absurd thing to say to a job seeker. Fine in the classroom but not in the real world.

 

I added that, “I do a lot of writing, I've run my own business and self taught computer technology before the internet. I could easily develop websites but don't have any degrees in that.” Mind you with my extensive experience and that I got an almost perfect score in an IT test for my economics degree at UWS, the NSW State authority mysteriously lost so have no recordx of it. Only got one answer wrong because I answered based on current technology instead of the outdated info in the Uni text book. I appealed to the Dean only to discover in his refusal that he was an ex (Datamouse Computers) customer who was obviously still disgruntled over a matter in my shop I had no control over. I've never been acknowledged with a “certificate” for my “work experience” and naturally ability to “self-teach” just about anything as we “stay at home mothers were promised back in 1990s. I'd done a vast array of jobs to feed my family when my alcoholic husband was incapable. Jobs I eventually had to leave for the same reason. Sorry I digress.

 

Then he said something like, “We don't have any of those sort of jobs. Your work experience older than ten years is something prospective employers would not be interested in?”

 

Its not employment anymore its “work experience” because they expect you to volunteer in the State health system. A health department volunteer is the only volunteer activity there is, according to every Job Services Australia representative I've spoken to. Again I digress.

 

Then he added, “How can we help you get a job?

I responded with something like, “Its not up to me to tell you how to do your job, you're supposed to know that already.”

 

He added something like, “You've done cleaning before, (like who hasn't!) we've got cleaning jobs.”

I responded with “I'm not doing cleaning work it hurts my back, I've been diagnosed with spine injury.”

 

He then added something like, “If you refuse to do work we'll inform Centrelink and your benefit will be cancelled.” This was the day before my payment was due.

At which point I enlightened him with something like, “I've studied law, (in same tone as if I'd said I know Karate) if you cause me financial hardship because I refuse to do something that will cause me physical injury I will sue you for defamation.”

 

I think I threw a “fuck that” in there somewhere which caused him to hang up on me.

 

When I complained formally to his boss in writing, There was no apology because there has been no response. I asked them to change my “case worker” to someone over 60. I'm waiting to see what happens.

 

 

When the State illegally cancelled my driving licence in 2018 I asked my Matchworks representative if they'd help me get it back. They refused which I thought was unfair as the Job Services Program will pay for people to get their forklift licence, they paid for me to qualify for my MR licence, but won't help me access my right to appeal an unconstitutional decision to cancel my licence on political grounds.

 

On the driving topic. There are plenty of mature aged people who are excellent drivers. Much better drivers than younger people, the insurance company's prove that its reflected in the cost of car insurance premiums. Problem is that most courier jobs want the driver to be a labourer and unpack their delivery.

 

Its like expecting a blood courier to extract the patient's blood too, or expecting a the father of every baby to delivery the baby as well. Its absurd.

 

Federal government should protect employment opportunities for older people by calling an end to unfair or age discrimination labour inclusions to jobs, like driving, that mature people could otherwise do better than a younger person.

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EDUCATION

I left school in year 10, 1972, because my male parent refused to pay for my final two years. His excuse? None of my siblings had completed year 12 before me. He was chairman / president / grand poo-bar, of his Freemason lodge in 1973. This is a list of my partially completed tertiary studies. The NSW institutions claim they "lost" all record of my study by 2010. I still have the HECS debt. They're all incomplete due to politically motivated violence (terrorism) from our elected and employed governments in NSW and SA and their sheeple:

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

• incomplete Bachelor of Laws,

High Distinction in 2018 Defamation law assignment.

• incomplete Bachelor Business & Human Resource Management.

• incomplete Bachelor Tourism & Event Management.

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY NEPEAN:

• incomplete Bachelor of Economics

High Distinction in 1995 Information Technology course.

 

TAFE CAMPBELLTOWN NSW:

• incomplete Diploma in Personnel Management,

Distinction in 1989 Psychology course.

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