🧵
@PatrickGormanMP published an abhorrent, self-serving piece claiming Labor leads a war on poverty.
Labor aren't "for the poor" & they haven’t been in my lifetime. This is designed to prime people to think there's a small cohort of ppl in rare circumstances living in poverty.
@PatrickGormanMP published an abhorrent, self-serving piece claiming Labor leads a war on poverty.
Labor aren't "for the poor" & they haven’t been in my lifetime. This is designed to prime people to think there's a small cohort of ppl in rare circumstances living in poverty.
https://twitter.com/PatrickGormanMP/status/1482902572373790721
I was stunned but not surprised to read Gorman's article, which is mostly a grab bag of ALP policies that aren't related to poverty. It doesn't mention unemployment or JobSeeker once.
Below is some of what I felt upon it 👇
ty @bkjabour for publishing it
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Below is some of what I felt upon it 👇
ty @bkjabour for publishing it
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
This table shows the gap between poverty line & unemployment payments growing faster under the ALP than Coalition
Red/orange/green columns are the rate as % of HPL. Blue & re for which party was in gov & how much more or less below the poverty line the payment was for that time
Red/orange/green columns are the rate as % of HPL. Blue & re for which party was in gov & how much more or less below the poverty line the payment was for that time
His piece is dangerous.
It erases government agency in the active creation of poverty. It insidiously perpetuates harmful "dole bludger" myths.
It's the kind of thing that fuels stigma for unemployed people, increases dehumanisation & abuse.
I've highlighted the worst of it.
It erases government agency in the active creation of poverty. It insidiously perpetuates harmful "dole bludger" myths.
It's the kind of thing that fuels stigma for unemployed people, increases dehumanisation & abuse.
I've highlighted the worst of it.
Right now we're being inundated with distress calls from our community. Messages like these cause material harm. They say to millions of us: you don’t matter. Some ppl deserve to get out of poverty, but not you. It can push vulnerable ppl over the self-harm threshold.
Things are so grim. I cried reading back over my own words. Fucking hell.
If this is a war on poverty I feel like a nurse on the battlefield rushing from one critically injured casualty to the next.
Give us some relief from your sanctimonious bullshit while we try to survive.
If this is a war on poverty I feel like a nurse on the battlefield rushing from one critically injured casualty to the next.
Give us some relief from your sanctimonious bullshit while we try to survive.
*upon READING it, ffs
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