Breaching report shows breaching is unfair and counter-productive

11th March 2002

From: UnitingCare Australia

'The Independent Review of Breaches and Penalties in the Social Security System released today found that many decisions to 'breach' jobseekers were arbitrary, unfair, and excessively harsh. This is no surprise to anybody working in the community welfare sector.'

'The Government's current approach to social security doesn't seem to take into account the effects on real people's lives. When you are just scraping by financially there comes a point when there are no more holes in your belt to tighten it further,' said Lin Hatfield Dodds, the National Director of UnitingCare Australia.

'The effects of this approach is to penny-pinch at the expense of people who are already under considerable stress, rather than providing opportunities to fully participate in society. This is neither genuine mutual obligation nor good public policy' said Ms Hatfield Dodds.

'The social security system has become far too complex with more and more hoops for people to jump through. There are so many requirements now that an increasing number of people will miss one of the hoops and be breached.'

'The current system of breaching is not helping people who are unemployed find employment, but makes it more difficult, if not impossible, for them to find a job.'

'Breaching does not save public money. Any savings are eaten up by compliance reviews, enforcement, and on appeals. People living on the edge who are suddenly cut off from Government benefits are often driven to crime to survive. Is this what we have a breaching process for?'

Contacts:

Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director, 02 6290 2160 (w), 0500 543 300 (mobile)
Andreas Molt, Research Officer, 02 6290 2160 (w), 0409 902 043 (mobile)

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