To whom it "should" concern: unsuccessfully applying for the Disability Support Pension in Australia
This week, Power to Persuade is being moderated by the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (@AusUnemployment). In a recent interview with ABC Perth, Minister Shorten rejected the suggestion that the process to apply for Disability Support Pension was made as difficult as possible to reduce successful claim. He asked for “a couple of case studies” to see “what the truth of the matter is”. The AUWU was happy to oblige. Here is one of five first-hand accounts we’re sending through to the Minister, written by Jasmine Stephens. Jasmine is a JobSeeker recipient from Penrith.
To Whom It May Concern,
Actually, I’m rephrasing that as “To Whom It Should Concern”, because it’s beyond time that someone cared about the plight of the most vulnerable in this country.
I was recently declined for the Disability Support Pension. I provided a letter from my general practitioner describing my conditions and highly recommending me as a candidate, in an attempt to get me off JobSeeker and relieve the pressure of mutual obligations that I am too sick to fulfil. In addition to that, I was asked to provide a report from my clinical psychologist and my psychiatrist. Specialist reports cost money, and I was forced to crowdfund for mine, because I could not scrape together in excess of $600 (each) for these documents.
My physical and mental health have been in steep decline since 2020, with the advent of COVID-19 bringing about no fewer than three mental health episodes. One of which, in 2022, I presented to the psych ward for, as I was in danger of taking my own life. In late 2021, I was referred to a gynaecological surgeon for a consultation for suspected endometriosis (a condition which they still cannot diagnose without invasive procedures). I called to make the appointment and was told I would have to wait until May 2022 to see the specialist in the private system. I was still employed at the time, so I could afford the $240 fee, if I saved.
However, less than a month later my mental health was so bad that I had to leave that job. As a result, I have been out of work since June 2022, and have been subsisting on the JobSeeker payment. The current rate of JobSeeker for me is $949.60 per fortnight. $600 of that is immediately gone to pay rent, $29.50 of that pays my mobile phone bill, and a further $45 is set aside for my electricity. I do not have air conditioning or heat in my residence. You will note that I have no internet connection, I have no entertainment subscription services, and that is because it is prohibitively expensive. I have to cover groceries, public transport, and medication expenses out of the remainder, as well as any incidental expenses, and often due to my health I cannot make myself meals, so I eat elements of food rather than anything normal people would consider adequate nutrition. The cost of living crisis means that money does not go as far for everyone, of course, but things like new jeans are completely out of reach. I am a single income household, and I am paying off debts accrued for healthcare. My next scheduled appointment with a specialist, which is scheduled for April 17th, will cost me $300. I do not know how I will pay for this, but I have no other choice.
My doctors were able to secure me three medical exemptions from mutual obligations, and I was taking my medications and getting treatment as often as I could with the hope I would get better. I cannot stress enough that I want to work, but my physical and mental health are so bad now that I cannot be a good employee. I miss huge tracts of work days due to being too sick and in too much pain to stand. My nutrition is so bad that scurvy is a genuine concern, and friends and family donate food to me sporadically (as often as someone is able) because they’re scared I will starve to death. I cannot afford my medications at the current rate of JobSeeker, so one of my friends pays for them for me.
I am a burden on everyone I know, both financially and emotionally, because in their infinite wisdom, Centrelink as agents of the Federal Government have decided that the poor, sick, and vulnerable are not worth sustaining. I implore you all to come to the realisation that if a person does not die in an accident tragically young, it is a certainty that either age or disease will eventually cause them to become disabled. That is the very nature of being a mammalian life form. Health, beauty, and fitness are byproducts of youth more than they are the product of effort and work.
I am writing this letter out of desperation, because everything else has failed. But I do feel the need to impress upon you that it sickens me to my very core that the Federal Government is demanding “case studies” for this. You are asking people who are already sick, weak, and over-burdened to educate you about the depth of our suffering. This is a blatantly eugenicist policy, in a long line of eugenicist policies in Australian history. You all have the audacity to perpetuate the myth that Australia is a lucky country, and it never occurs to you that it’s only lucky for very few of us. Bodies fail, and people die. That is the only certainty because in this country, like so many others in the developed world, if you’re rich enough you can in fact escape adequate taxation. Something must change, and it must change soon. I am 36 years old and I am certain that I will not see 40. I don’t want anyone else to suffer this constant drudgery of not being sick enough to be considered worthy of help, but being too sick to function. To paraphrase someone much wiser than myself: I have hope for mankind, but I keep none for myself.
Content moderator: AUWU