The shame I’m made to feel stems from ignorance about the difficulty of living on government assistance
Name: Tara Rose*
Age: 43
Lives: Western Australia
Turning point: Separating after 14 years of marriage
After housing costs has to live on: $260 a week
As we head towards Christmas and my college classes are all but finished for the year, something is weighing heavily on my mind. Well, actually there are lots of things that are always weighing heavily on my mind, but a few in particular are making me stop and think. There is the ever-present worry about finances, and security around food, housing and transport. There is also the stigma and public misconceptions that I’ve recently had to deal with of late. These have been troubling me.
First and foremost is how I’m going to continue to pay the bills and get by on Newstart and the Family Tax Benefit. Sadly, I am unable to rely on child support for my three teenagers, the legalities of which prevent me from discussing this all-too-controversial topic.
Continually flashing like a neon light in my mind is the fact that my eldest son has just turned 18 and my weekly “income” will drop by $70 because, as a newly aged adult, he is suddenly expected to work and support himself – despite having only finished school a month ago and not yet in receipt of his Atar score, let alone any qualifications aside from his Year 12 certificate.
And no, I’m not expecting the government or the taxpayers – of which I
was one from when I first started working in the healthcare industry
and started paying taxes in 1992 – to support my children while I
continue to study to upgrade my skills. However, just because he is now
an adult doesn’t mean that he no longer requires feeding or ceases to
use utilities in our home. The new adult in question will eventually get
a fulltime job, but until he decides on his career or chooses to study
first, he is still a mouth to feed. He too, like many Australian
high-school graduates, will go onto a Youth Allowance until he is
earning a wage, but this figure is so small, I can hardly expect him to
make anything but a token contribution towards his board.Age: 43
Lives: Western Australia
Turning point: Separating after 14 years of marriage
After housing costs has to live on: $260 a week
As we head towards Christmas and my college classes are all but finished for the year, something is weighing heavily on my mind. Well, actually there are lots of things that are always weighing heavily on my mind, but a few in particular are making me stop and think. There is the ever-present worry about finances, and security around food, housing and transport. There is also the stigma and public misconceptions that I’ve recently had to deal with of late. These have been troubling me.
First and foremost is how I’m going to continue to pay the bills and get by on Newstart and the Family Tax Benefit. Sadly, I am unable to rely on child support for my three teenagers, the legalities of which prevent me from discussing this all-too-controversial topic.
Continually flashing like a neon light in my mind is the fact that my eldest son has just turned 18 and my weekly “income” will drop by $70 because, as a newly aged adult, he is suddenly expected to work and support himself – despite having only finished school a month ago and not yet in receipt of his Atar score, let alone any qualifications aside from his Year 12 certificate.
I work 28 hours a week at the stables where the family horse is housed in return for agistment rather than a wage (it’s my horse that has kept me sane; my daughter’s therapy as much as mine). Although it’s worth noting that the Child Support Agency and Administrative Appeals Tribunal have deemed that I should include the agistment figures into my overall “earnings”. It frustrates me that I continually feel the need to have to explain my situation.
I recently formed a new friendship and my new friend asked how I afford to live when I’m not working a paid job and am studying. After some hesitation and emotional angst, my response was that I receive a study allowance. I could not bring myself to say that I’m receiving Newstart. My answer elicited very little response, whereas if I had said I was getting Newstart, the response would have been vastly different.
I am not alone – the stigmatisation I experience and sense of shame I am often made to feel is felt by many Centrelink recipients, and it appears to stem from a misconception of affordability of living while receiving assistance. That was my experience last week when, in a mental health study class, a senior lecturer stated that her understanding was that if you were in receipt of Centrelink benefits you had more than enough to live on, and that the government paid your rent and a portion of your utilities. To say I was shocked is an understatement. My heart raced and palms became sweaty. How many other people, I wondered, truly don’t understand the Centrelink struggle? How many people believe that recipients of assistance have it easy and are just “bludgers”?
And how long will I have to deal with the stigma and misconceptions and be in this predicament, I ask myself? The reality is that my course won’t finish for another six months. The summer holidays are upon us and the Christmas countdown is on. The summer school break and Christmas period is stressful enough, but this year there is an added dimension of inner turmoil.
The final icing on what has been an incredibly trying year is that my youngest teen has experienced a rapid growth spurt. She suddenly exceeds my height and requires a new wardrobe. The pennies will be counted again and needs and desires prioritised. The needs will mostly be met, somehow, but the desires may have to remain a dream, both carrying sacrifices that fall upon my shoulders.
I still hold firm in my belief that the legacy of all of these struggles will be that one day my children will be able to see the true value in things, to look beyond the surface, and finally realise that their mum did her best despite tough times, and will be generous with their own time, love, compassion, spirit and attitude.
I’d like them to know that even though the reality is that money does make the world go round, there is more in life besides dollars and cents, that true generosity comes from within, often with a good dose of sacrifice, but the benefits are many, even if they aren’t apparent straight away. That’s the gift I hope I’ve given them.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
* Name has been changed
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