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Then there is the renting issue. How is a single mum on her own expected to afford to rent somewhere to live (the mums are often the ones to move out with the child when something goes wrong) then you have to convince someone to rent you a house on a single part time income with NO parenting payment at all! Sure there is family tax and rent assistance, but honestly, without any parenting payment and a cheap place now being over $200 a week easily, where are these people meant to go?
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you'd be suprised at how many charitible organisations are out there that help with rental until government housing becomes available. i didn't realise myself until very recently when talking about someone in financial hardship needing help with moving. i have heard of bond loans, but i was advised by an estate agent that some departments help with paying part of the rent on a private rental as well.
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The income thresholds peeve me the most between payments. I can earn at most $61 a fortnight before I get my pay cut, if I was single I could earn hundreds before it gets cut, and the single income thresholds get indexed every year - that $61 has been the same for decades I reckon. The net result is that I get so little on parenting payment because of my other income that I actually get considerably less in total than I would on PPS with NO other income, after tax and expenses. Centrelink doesn't count most of my expenses as expenses, so they deem me as earning more than I do so it really cuts into my PPP. Or it would if they ever get around to actually PAYING me, I've been getting $250 a fortnight total from centrelink for rather a while now and I'm not working at the moment and have no other income (although they deem I do) so it really hurts.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
It's sort of like when school brings in a new uniform. When it changes over you have to buy the new one if you start the year of the change, but if you are already there you can wear the old one for longer.
I'm not sure if I'm grandfathered or not. I've hopped on and off the payment a couple of times over the last few years depending on my work status but I'm leaving my head in the sand about it. I've got enough to worry about as it is......BG please don't tell me when the changeover was cos I don't want to know!!
Dee - the renting issue is a HUGE one, it scares the bejaysus outta me. I have my own house (so no rent assistance) but I'm not able to work and supplement my income so I couldn't afford to stay there. I thank heavens each day I have a friend with a house big enough to share.
If I had to sell it I'd be just as stuffed because who would rent to me? No matter I've paid my own way for years - I just can't work right now.
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It's really hard isn't itThe rent thing terrifies me too, you won't believe what I pay in rent here...and how much I go without just so I can stay in a semi decent neighbourhood. If I was to pay ANY less I would be living somwhere horrible and have to send my kids to schools covered in grafitti and where they lock up, yes...lock up, the lunch boxes so kids don't steal their food
And it keeps going up...just went up to $425 a week
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Damn ... after rent in, we pay $60pw for our house. If by some miracle we get a loan, after we move we'll be paid (yes, paid, not pay) $85 a week to live in a brand new 4br house. I just have to convince a bank that we can afford to do that. Bank criteria can be as stupid as Centrelink's sometimes.
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i don't know off the top of my head anyway!
Last edited by briggsy's girl; July 22nd, 2010 at 09:25 PM.
Registered User
the whole situation would be alot fairer if they changed the rule at a certain date, but the fact is that someone who had a child at a certain time is fine to get PP single unless of course they go off it for some reason. That is just the crappest of crap. People shouldn't get penalized cause a situation didn't work out, when they were fully entitled to it 13 weeks earlier
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