Today I arrived home to discover that once again my girlfriend is being screwed by the department of human services. Centrelink, the Australian welfare agency and offshoot of the DHS, has just removed income from my girlfriend.
Here's the reasoning:
Her family, who own land, have "millions" in assets.
Chloe, who can be legally tried for murder or choose not to be resuscitated in the event of an accident, is still considered a dependent on her parents.
Thus, her parents, who have "millions" in assets and are no longer considered to require economic assistance for drought; can simply pay her way with a sheep or two; or perhaps some fencing.
Fencing is an asset. Livestock is an asset. Assets have value. Things you need have value. Money is a medium for representing value. Chloe's parents can simply exchange things of value to them for money in order for Chloe to maintain a basic standard of living.
QED. There's no problem here.
Yesterday, it was considered absolutely vital for her to get money. Despite living out of home, being an adult, studying full time, incurring a massive HECS debt and working up to 20 hours a week at McDonald's for FUCK ALL per hour, the mere passage of 24 hours has changed her previously dire situation into one in which she is suddenly 'rich'.
All because desk bound people who have never even felt a flicker of emotion close to something human have decided that there's no drought in Australia anymore.
All because some inhumane red tape dispenser pretending he's doing something useful can't tell the difference between someone who is in need and someone who is not.
I hereby declare war on a new front: the Australian Tax Office is no longer the enemy I hate the most.
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