Neoliberalism degrades disabled

In response to this, Graham Bradley from the Business Council of Australia explains his belief that being a long-term unemployed person is not good for anyone’s psychology and recovery, but Dr Cassandra Goldie in retrospect believes if the Government is serious about finding more work for people with disabilities, they should not be looking to cut disability pensions. After all most people with disabilities are among  one of society’s most impoverished unemployed and socially excluded peoples in society.

This is further acknowledged in the Australian government’s (ALP) report which is a broad government publication of issues confronting people with disabilities:

The extraordinary gap between the level of income support and the cost of disability was seen as restricting the ability of people with disabilities both to live independently and to enjoy a decent standard of living … Disability support recipients live lives of fear and desperation. Sooner or later every disability support recipient I know has confessed to the concern they feel over the “what if” factor-what if government stops paying social security/disability support?

But in retrospect, there is always a case for re-examining measures concerning the construction of the disability pension. These measures to reduce the disability pension to pay for the flood levy are indicative of a failure to adequately face the responsibility of governments to provide needed assistance for people with disabilities.  Or as Jenny Macklin the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs wrote in The Australian:

It is the mark of a compassionate society that these vulnerable people be supported to have an adequate standard of living.