omg i hate centrelink! agreed?

Baby bonus = bogan dole bludgers being foled. And we dont want more bogans!

I don't believe in maternity leave. But i belive in parental leave. I'd like to go on leave. But maternity leave is necesasry while the bun is in the oven i guess.
One thing tho, i don't think small buisnesses should have to give paternal/maternity leave. Yes people should be able to have babies and spend some proper time having them but why should a buisness hae to go under financial hardship just so someone can create another 'bundle of joy'.

I think to solve the whole damn annoying baby boomers problem when they all retire would be to have more visas speciphically for aged care and stuff, but just temporary.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/jobs-growth-shatters-the-myths-of-welfare-20110506-1ec35.html <--- read.

I think Centerlink do a pretty good job. they are there  to help people who are unable / can't / won't / or just plain don't help themselves. whether they deserve it or not is a different question. People have to lean that you cant get something for nothing and no one is owed anything. Actually if anyone is owed it should be the hard working Australians who pay tax and contribute the this country's economy but what do they get....? The government will give you a leg up, that's it and that's all it should be. if people are unhappy with the service or the funds they receive from Centerlink / the government......then get a job.

a) not all BB receivers are dole bludgers. Until the parental leave payments started, that's what you got... full time worker or not. And believe it it not - some people are better off claiming the baby bonus over the parental leave (I am by $26 over the entire round of payments) but I'm not sure that if you were a full time worker you automatically get the parental leave, or can pick and choose.

b) women go on maternity leave once bub is born (well, from 36wks onwards) so maternity leave IS necessary... paid or not. This isn't parental leave (it could be called that, but in the work place it's "maternity leave"). Very rarely do women leave work before that 36wk mark, unless 1) they are considered a "high risk pregnancy" and need to take things very easy, or 2) they can no longer perform their job to the needs required or 3) bub comes early. If option 1 is taken, you usually quit your job because ideally you won't be back for say 18-24mths, or at all.

c) as I said in a previous post, the government actually pays your employer for the parental leave. Yes the employer pays it, but they get it all back at tax time I suspect it would be.

d) creating another "bundle of joy" is almost a duty in a way. My child in 25yrs may become a doctor who saves a life a day, or a scientist who can find a way to test medication not on animals. I think that's worth any hardship I endure.

Plans for HECS loans to include living costs (read more here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/national-union-of-students-at-odds-with-hecs-option/story-e6frgcjx-1226053474634)

Do you think this is a viable option for university students?  The UK government currently allows for living costs in their loan-funding packages to uni students and there is an idea that it creates a 'debt culture' (this is briefly discussed in the above article).  Thoughts?

They shit me off, I was working full time for a couple years but now have dropped back a bit to return to school and work has completely screwed me over and it's not so much the payment is rubbish but I can't seem to get any information that I need back from them, there was some screw up proving I was independent then the next letter I got was saying I "would receive payments as of .... of a maximum of $..." and that was pretty much it so I've asked if I need to report my earnings and haven't heard a word back.

Hope they let me know before they start screwing me around.

As much as centrelink have their own customer service / processing issues, you are getting money from them. Hate them that much? Don't apply for a benefit.

And interesting thought! But should we really allow young people get that far into debt before they even start their lives? I guess if there is no other option, then there is no other option... but that's what I would be worried about.

Even though I'm broke and homeless atm, because I refuse to go home back to my parents, centerlink refuses to give me independence and pay me because my "family breakdown"isn't extreme enough. Even though it's legal to move out at sixteen. So yeah, not appreciating centerlink all too much atm.

To be considered independent you have to prove exactly that. You have to show that you are able to support yourself financially in order to receive payments. And it can be done. I experienced a similar situation and lived alone since I was 16. I worked my butt off to put myself through my VCE, travelling 50 minutes by train to my part time job.

I have only just been considered independent at 21 because I have worked for x amount of years full time.