Heavenly Beverley : How To Access Information From Centrelink...or Try To From a Politician!

Have a tantrum. Very publicly, in writing. With lots of questions. To as many politicians as possible. They will then get their staffers to deal with you, or better still, handball your letter to some poor sap who will end up with several letters from you, addressed to several ministers, all ending up on their desk.

I have been highly amused by the lengths politicians will go to in order to run for cover. Take Doctor Nahan, Western Australia's Treasurer for example. I included him in my personal entourage as the money comes from Treasury and public housing in this state is a disaster that needs an injection of capital. Now. He has handballed my letter to my local federal member, who has nothing to do with state housing issues!

Tony Simpson, WA Minister for Community Services etc etc handballed my letter to Minister Helen Morton, whose Chief of Staff directed me to a link for Mental Health Services that was having a glitch and couldn't be accessed. Rather like public mental health services.

The Premier's office and the Nationals' office of the Hon. Mia Davies MLA have both spat out automated replies. Ms Andrea Mitchell, the parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Mental Health; Disability Services; Child Protection has been completely silent.

All in all, I have contacted eighteen state and federal, government and opposition politicians. The only results have been a closer deep and meaningful relationship with Centrelink and a conversation with my local member's staffer.

Which is where this post gets interesting. What is admitted to a member of the public - me - who is putting politicians and government departments on notice. The Centrelink staff member, with whom I have spent quite some time chatting to the last week - and called him by the wrong name - divulged a couple of interesting facts to me.

Alex has been deemed unable to work more than eight hours a week in the "open market". His support by a disability employment support agency exempts him from the tiresome three monthly Participation Plan roundabout. Alex is actually "working" far more than eight hours a week, as he has his regular volunteer gig at the Warehouse Cafe, his two shifts at the Friendship Cafe and God love him, his study day at the Perth Bible College. But somebody within Centrelink has made the decision that Alex was not and would never be able to be employed in the "open market".

Vanessa, on the other hand, has every intention of completing her tertiary studies and hopes to be employed as a part-time academic. When she has finished her Ph.D. She is required to attend these interviews every three months, in spite of giving evidence of her enrolment. I have been told these can be completed by phone with me and become six monthly after eighteen months. Whoopee.

And another gem that dropped from Centrelink today was the realisation that the Pensioner Education Supplement is still alive. Back last year, we all were contacted to say the payment was going to be canned and don't bother applying for it in 2015. Well, it hasn't been dropped because it didn't get legislated yet. So, Vanessa is eligible once again for a payment that Centrelink didn't bother to let us know, for a whole semester, was still in existence.

Probably the most enlightening discussion was with my local federal member's staffer. A perfectly lovely lady, she let the cat out of the bag on several occasions. For example -

that politicians don't pay attention to constituents that are going to vote for the "other side"
that politicians do not act on constituents' concerns because they will receive flack from the "other side" e.g. this was the excuse given when I wished for more staff at Centrelink. My response was "Tell the truth and explain why more staff are needed at Centrelink".
that politicians love their carefully orchestrated events and do not wish to mix with the general (ie constituents who may not vote for them) populace, even when invited. Which I did.
that she (the staffer) made judgements about my daughter. She queried how Vanessa would cope with academia if she found three monthly Centrelink interviews an ordeal. This is after I had informed her of Vanessa's severe anxiety in situations she finds stressful. She doesn't find her studies particularly stressful. Vanessa finds Centrelink, as I do, particularly stressful!

This conversation went on for forty-five minutes before she asked me what I wanted. That was easy. I told her that I wished for -

a simplified, streamlined Centrelink (so that people with intellectual disabilities don't end up in jail for fraud) with enough staff to deal with the complexity of many DSP clients.
an immediate injection of money into public housing, so that people like Alex aren't disadvantaged, made homeless or have to wait more than two years on the Priority Waiting List. Oh, I mentioned I'd like suitable housing for Alex in about five months.
any politician to have the balls to say there are not enough available jobs for those seeking paid work.
any politician to explain that the reasons for increased spending on public housing and in Centrelink is because people like my family need these services.
for somebody to work out the chaos that is the MyGov/ Centrelink websites and make them user-friendly, particularly if you have more than two nominees. Which I do.
for the average Joe to realise that those of us who are welfare recipients are not necessarily sitting on our arses, enjoying the luxury life our benefits offer us. Which the benefits don't.
that people with disabilities are not increasing like a hoard of ants. In the past, they were institutionalised or killed.
that a significant reason for the growth in people with mental health issues on Disability Support Pensions is partially due to the woeful lack of mental health services, coupled with not enough jobs and no recognition for the value of volunteer work ( such as additional income support for those who employed in a voluntary capacity).