Australia cracking down on welfare fraud (Pioneer Sun Photo)
Last year, an unemployed Australian broke the welfare department 117 times and was punished for losing only five days of benefits. Australia`s government has issued new rules to crack down on welfare fraud.
Last year, an Australian unemployed deliberately missed a job interview or deliberately underperformed 99 times, triggering eight interventions from the (Human Services Department), the Pioneer Sun reported. In addition, the unemployed missed 10 meetings with employment center staff.
Under Australian law, welfare recipients face financial penalties and cut benefits if they fail to meet their obligations to participate in job interviews, training courses or job-hunting programs. However, the department waived five penalties for the jobless, meaning it would still receive 99 percent of the benefits for the year. The welfare fraud "recidivism" on one occasion lost only five days` worth of benefits.
Last week, Australia`s Federal Parliament passed the latest rules to crack down on welfare fraud, starting in July this year, Australia may have nearly 80,000 welfare recipients lost relief.
Under the new rules, recipients will lose a month`s benefit if they are not looking for a job in any six-month period or if the cumulative number of absent interviews is more than five. The new rules will adopt a point deduction system similar to that for drivers in violation of traffic regulations. Lazy job seekers will be deducted every time they break the rules. Once the points are accumulated to five points, their benefits will be halved for the first time. The discovery of a second violation would lose a week`s benefit, and a third violation would lose a full month`s benefit.
Last year, 78749 welfare recipients in Australia breached their obligations more than six times. Under the new rules, they are all at risk of losing their welfare. It is reported that nearly half of the welfare fraudsters live in New and Queensland, and more than 14500 Victorian residents have repeatedly flouted the Department`s rules.
Tiehan (Dan Tehan), social services secretary, said Australia`s welfare was generous and it was time to "transform". The new welfare system will severely crack down on unsincere job seekers, and legitimate recipients of benefits will not be affected by the reforms. However, if some people rely on welfare and do not want to fulfill their job-hunting obligations, they will be the subject of concern. No taxpayer is willing to raise lazy men.
