Showing posts with label Disability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disability. Show all posts

Getting the disability pension is much harder (and more ridiculous) than you think

Posted on 20 May 2024 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments

We like to think Australia has a semi-functional welfare system, which most people assume includes that those with disability are supported if they can't work. But it's so much harder than people think, with Kafkaesque twists and turns even the strongest of us are barely able to navigate.

Screw the disabled! Labor shows their truly depressing colours. Again.

Posted on 04 December 2023 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments

 Amazingly, there are still people who believe the traditional red of the ALP is that of their hearts bleeding for people experiencing hardship and disadvantage. And whilst some of these people are talkback radio hosts egging their audience on to a fury of be-spittled rage, some are actually Labor supporters who believe their party is on the side of the right and good. 

Fish oil, zinc and chronic fatigue

Posted on 11 April 2022 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments

 When you have a chronic illness - especially an illness like Chronic Fatigue Sydnrome that can't be diagnosed through testing (though we're constantly hearing doctors are on the verge of a breakthrough), or treated - lay people are continually coming up with alternative remedies. Try rubbing lavender oil on your pulse points. My neighbour had this, and they started going for a walk each day at sunrise, and they felt much better. Bury the third finger of the left hand of an Amazon delivery driver under a full moon, and it will re-align your chakras for long term relief. 


Our punitive welfare system is destroying people's mental health

Posted on 09 November 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments


Mental health issues can sometimes occur for no apparent reason, when life seems to be going well. But there's a strong correlation between mental health issues and stress, poverty, unemployment and insecurity. The punitive Centrelink and jobactive sysyems are literally making people sick - and the mental health system can't help them. Excellent reporting from Rick Morton.

If Scott Morrison actually cared two tiny mouse droppings about reducing rates of suicide, he'd do something to fix this. He won't though.

The Saturday Paper

NDIS rollout fails to reduce the number of young people in nursing homes

Posted on 02 November 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments


Gaps in support approved, difficulty finding supports with the funding provided, a lack of suitable housing for people with disability all contribute to the shameful fact of 6,000 younger Australians living in aged care facilities - a number that has barely budged in the past decade despite the nationwide rollout of the NDIS.

Nursing homes, geared towards people at the end stage of life, are no place to provide the support, lifestyle and hope of younger people with functional impairments.

The Conversation

NDIS system wearing people with disabilities and their families down

Posted on 29 October 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments
The NDIS is ideologically grounded in the idea of "choice". Rather than funding being allocated to service providers who decide what services people receive, in theory funding is given directly to people to choose what support they want for themselves.

What actually happens is that, left without guidance or even consistently applied legislation, NDIS participants are left to negotiate an arcane system of rules, providers, delays, decisions, reviews and regulations for themselves.


The ABC

More support needed for child carers

Posted on 09 August 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments
One in ten Australian children care for a relative with a substance use issue or disability - and they need more support to stop them from falling behind in school. 

"Inspiration porn" perpetuates the stigma of disability

Posted on 03 August 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments

60% of disabled Australians don't have enough support or income

Posted on 02 August 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments

Disability commissioners must go due to conflict of interest

Posted on 28 July 2019 by Nico Bell • 0 Comments
Two of the disability commissioners are facing calls to stand down due to conflict of interest.

Barbara Bennett is the previous deputy secretary of the families and communities branch of the Department of Social Services, whilst John Ryan in his role at Family and Community Services was tasked with closing down large residential institutions for people with disability such as the Westmead and Rydalmere Centres in Sydney, the Riverside Centre in Orange and the Stockton Centre in Newcastle - not to mention he's a former Liberal party politician.

It's a basic principle of integrity that the people investigating policies shouldn't be the ones who made those policies.

They need to go. 

Pro Bono News


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