The Coalition's need to create scapegoats in a despicable effort to shore up its increasing unpopularity, has led to a savaging of Centrelink “customers” that has dramatically backfired, says Jennifer Wilson.
THIS WEEK, I watched, incredulous (I know, only a fool with no sense of the immediate past could continue to be startled by any action performed by this government), as Minister for Social Services Christian Porter claimed across the media that the Centrelink debt recovery process was working just fine and the fact that a “few” citizens are being unfairly targeted was of no great consequence.
If they’re upset, too bad, get over it, there’s nothing wrong with our process, was Porter’s basic message.
Here are some of the things that are wrong with the Centrelink process.
Porter seemed oblivious to the astounding news that the situation is of such concern that A Current Affair, not renowned for warm feelings towards welfare recipients to whom they usually refer in stale Murdochian/conservative speak as dole bludgers, felt compelled to devote airtime to advising those on the receiving end of unpleasant notifications from Centrelink and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), apparently threatening gaol terms for non compliance, how to cope.
Porter stated that one in five people who receive these letters do not owe a debt. However, the onus is on the recipient to prove to this to Centrelink. In what universe is a government department, assisted by the AFP, empowered to force citizens into the position of guilt until you prove innocence?
Here is how Centrelink is legally obliged to deal with investigating debts.
Quite how the AFP became co-opted as debt collectors for a government department I have yet to fathom. I believe it was a “joint task force” action, Centrelink having morphed from a public service into a “force” in the conservative war on welfare, and the AFP, well, ever since failed Prime Minister Tony Abbott took up lodging in their barracks nobody’s known where they’re at.
This is the first time the AFP logo has been used on Centrelink material. Obviously, the intention is to intimidate.
Porter continued to stare defiantly into the cameras and insist that any problems were the fault of Centrelink “customers”, past and present, not the system. Nor were they inspired by the contempt, ingrained like decades of neglected playground grime, the government has for any welfare recipients, other than the Gina Rinehart demographic.
At one point, Porter went so far as to blame Labor for the situation on the grounds that, in his opinion, the ALP hadn’t done a satisfactory job chasing up false welfare claims when they were in government. This might be amusing, considering the LNP refusal to address the matter of corporate taxes, were it not so destructive to lives undeserving of government persecution.
Here is how you will only be protected by the Turnbull Government if you’re a millionaire.
No part of this latest debacle bears even a remote resemblance to the practice of good governance. Yes, systems develop glitches, we saw evidence of that very recently with the Census train wreck. In an alternative reality, Porter might have acknowledged the imperfections and failures of the system and put threatening the populace on hold until the glitches were resolved, thus salvaging some goodwill and damping down the massive backlash.
He didn’t even have the nous to take that path.
The LNP is enslaved by ideology, to the extent that it will eat itself rather than look outside the narrow confines of its ideological box. Which is fine by me. Get on with the cannibalism until you’re a midden of shining white bones, is my position.
Criminalising people is the area in which this government excels. Unfortunately, the very people deserving of criminalisation generally go free; far easier to target the already vulnerable. There’s nothing wrong with prosecuting people who make false welfare claims.
However, as in so much else, this Government has no sense of proportion in these matters and that, combined with its need to create scapegoats in a despicable effort to shore up its increasing unpopularity, has led to a savaging of Centrelink “customers” that has already dramatically backfired, as well it should.
You can follow Jennifer Wilson on her blog No Place for Sheep or on Twitter @NoPlaceForSheep. This article was republished with permission.
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