Greenies are always going on about how the government should spend more on health and education. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem to government spending on education (within reason). But the problem is, where to get the money from?
Here's an excellent way to fund education AND better our economy: Axe Centrelink.
Yes. I said it. You read correctly.
I can see the value of having Centrelink -- sometimes unfortunate people fall on unfortunate times. But these people shouldn't learn to rely on government handouts to live.
Instead, I propose the following: The Centrelink Bank. Instead of handing out money, Centrelink will issue zero-interest long-term loans to individuals.
Here's how it works:
- You apply for Centrelink
- Once approved, you are entitled to Centrelink payments for five years, or until you earn enough to offset your Centrelink payment (as is done now)
- You must repay Centrelink interest free, over a period of ten years.
- Centrelink will cease your payments after five years if you fail to acquire employment.
Once Centrelink ceases your payments, you are not entitled to re-apply for Centrelink until such a time that you have repayed your debt.
What will this achieve? The time-limit will force dole bludgers to go and get a job. The more employed people we have, the less people we have wasting tax payers dollars -- and the stronger our economy becomes.
Forcing dole recipients to repay their debt will change the mindset of future generations. It should not be seen as acceptable to live off government handouts. The government is giving you assistance, and you must repay the government.
Why five years? Most university degrees are three or four years in length. Five years means a university student may receive Centrelink payments for the duration of their degree, plus one to two years to seek employment.
Comments
Overall, I think its a pretty good idea - just a couple of flaws i've spotted.
Firstly, if a student has received centerlink for 5 years (ie the maximum) and they loose their job in the next couple of years without fully repaying their debt - they should also be entitled to receive a further benefit. This way the individual can then seek out employment that is worthwhile and not just take the first job they get offered.
Secondly, you plan doesn't cover those that are unable to seek gainful employement. In particular i'm talking about people such as full time carers. As a full time carer they are easing the burden on the public health system, respite and home care that is provided by the government. As such I think they are well deserving of whatever benefits they can receive from the government, they probably work harder than most people do anyway (well at least some public servants I know :-) )
Third and last point, what about those degrees that last longer than 5 years? Off the top of my head I can think of a few such as architecture, or medicine - both of which require two degrees. What about postgrad or masters? do we really want to put in place a deterrent to further education?
I really like Peter's idea, but a few items need to be fleshed out. I shall call these the Joel Amendments.
Joel Amendment 1 - Emergency Loans: If people have used up their allocated 5 years of CentreLink then they can still be eligible for CentreLink payments for up to 3 months. This will provide people with payments when they are most at need. To get to this stage, remember you must have been unemployed for the last 5 years OR used up your payments but been employed in a job that doesn't pay enough to have the loan repaid automatically. This gives enough money for the person to get another job and still able to pay the rent. Qualifying for this loan scheme would be much harder as you would have to prove that you are in absolute desperate need and have no form of savings. And you could not claim this within 6 months of your last 3 month emergency payment.
Joel Amendment 2 - The Carer's Clause - Carers would be exempt from the time limit of 5 years. They could receive payments as long as they are a registered carer.
Joel Amendment 3 - The Higher Education Clause - University students can receive CentreLink payments for the duration of their course + 3 months. This gives that extra 3 months to get a job (Art students will need this)
Joel Amendment 4 - The Higher Higher Education Clause - People accepted into a Masters or PHD course can receive CentreLink Payments for the duration of their Masters or PHD course + 3 months.
The problem with the whole system is that Left wing loonies will argue that some people will eventually be left with no CentreLink payments. Personally I think that is a good idea. If after 5 years plus any emergency payments you still cannot hold down a job then there is either something wrong with you (so you should move onto some sort of disability pension) or you're just lazy. And trust me the threat of no money will kick even the most laziest of people into gear.