Bust the Budget

This morning I attended a public rally called as a protest to Tony Abbott's recent rotten budget of broken promises in Wodonga [Indi]. Despite freezing and wet weather, hundreds of people turned out for updates on what's happening about Abbott's budget.

Several speakers provided personal insights into what Joe Hockey's end of the age of entitlement means for the poor and the vulnerable; their accounts were distressing and attested to just how ignorant some politicians are of the situations many people are struggling to cope with.

A volunteer worker for Uniting Care told of how Julia Gillard's changes impacted on families at risk and how they are now being overwhelmed by people who can't see how they will cope following Abbott's much more massive assault on their support structures.

He was in tears as he described how hurt these PEOPLE are to be referred to as "leaners", "loafers" and "takers". He described how some people were being overcome with anxiety at the challenge of having to drive hundreds of kilometres to work in low paid casual jobs for peanuts when they don't even have a car but still have kids to feed - FIFOs without the remuneration or the transport!

Sadly, Tony Abbott wasn't there to hear REAL PEOPLE speak. Abbott's decision to establish a private army of 37 spin doctors to monitor and manipulate social media suggest HE is about trying to justify his war on the poor rather than fulfilling the role of government to provide support to the poor and the vulnerable.

It was interesting to note which political representatives were listening; Cathy McGowan's people made themselves known and candidates for Labor and The Greens spoke briefly, but no-one was prepared to defend the indefensible.

Indi was lost to the Coalition at the 2013 Election and given the impact Abbott's rotten budget is already having on PEOPLE and community sentiment, it's likely to remain that way at the next election.