| Friday 9 October 1998. 9:24 PM Suzi was rambling in
the car on the way home tonight. She made some comments that caused me to think long
and hard.
Suzi and I haven't applied for nor accepted any Government pay-outs in relation to AJ
and his Birth. When you have a Baby in Australia (NSW?) you can get a Handout of
around $800. The idea is to help with medical expenses and other costs such as
clothing and nappies. You know - most people don't plan for kids, they have them and
realise they can't afford the costs - well that's what we are told.
We also haven't applied for the Family Allowance. A Federal Government handout
paid fortnightly for each child. We felt as professional people with fairly good
business sense the monies should go to people far more needy.
Then there is the Vaccination Shots Payments. Each time your child gets his
Injections, you get a payment! Cool huh! Initiative to get those needles!
We've had the needles, but we haven't claimed the payment. Again we felt it was
important that someone more needy had the funds.
Are we thick or what? We've avoided any need for Government nose sticking at any
cost and in hope that someone more needy will benefit and what happens ....
Now I have to raise the question. Considering DoCS have totally traumatised my
sweet Suzi and completely thrown me off track, caused us total loss of income for
September and now October and probably for a few more months now as Suzi won't be fit for
working for a while, and whilst she needs my support - as many of my clients know - I
can't get five minutes to do any work.
And you think the DOLE is going to fix this? Egad - the company has costs, the
Dole ain't going to cover that and anyway, it's not that we want work and can't get it.
We are technically by definition of the law - unfit medically for work. But
who wants medical benefits?
So, we have a problem. And I'd like to know what DoCS intend doing about fixing
it. Wait another 12 months? I think not. I tend to set a goal and reach
it - Pauline knows that. I said we'd have their noses out of our AJ's business by
Friday 24 Sept COB and I did. The dispute is now about the incident and what they
are going to do to fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Seems DoCS is in a tight corner right now. I'm getting all kinds of feedback from
all kinds of places. And boy is some of it REALLY interesting.
Anyway Suzanne is very concerned that, even with the verbal assurance to the contrary,
DoCS will now try and pin her down as an unfit mum. <sigh> |
