Coalition’s Costwatch policy fails to deliver benefits
I saw that Louise Staley was out and about last week with shadow minister Michael Gidley spruiking the Liberal's Costwatch campaign.
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On the surface the campaign looks good. It appears to be good aiming to reduce everyday costs for people across Victoria.
It sounds good, but is it?
For those of us whose memory extends before November 2014, Costwatch is a fraud.
Remember when Ted Baillieu was elected? His campaign was run on the slogan "reducing the cost of living".
Does anyone believe that their household costs came down from 2010 to 2014?
In fact, the cost of living continued to rise under the Baillieu-Napthine governments.
The Liberals, despite their promise to reduce the cost of living, presided over increases in council rates, water rates, electricity, car registration, public transport, groceries and fuel.
In a growing economy, prices do rise. It's therefore important for governments to ensure that incomes rise in line with increasing living costs.
Yet Ms Staley and her Liberal colleagues continually oppose decent wage rises for Australian workers.
Time and time again, the Liberals and Nationals argue against wage increases for the lowest paid workers.
And now they want to reduce penalty rates for those Victorians working on Sundays in hospitality and other low paid industries.
It's a very easy political stunt to campaign for lower prices.
But Ms Staley, when the Liberals didn't deliver on this promise when they were in office, Costwatch seems pretty hollow indeed.
LYN HUGHES
Ararat
Busting myths about youth homelessness
Youth Homelessness Matters Day is coming up on Wednesday, April 13. In order to get people in the community to support the cause, it is important to make them understand the issue so that they can empathise with young homeless people and take action.
The first step to achieving this is to break down some of the most common myths about youth homelessness.
Myth 1: Homeless young people choose to live a life on the streets.
Fact 1: The most common cause of youth homelessness (and homelessness in general) is domestic and family violence, with 70 per cent of young homeless people leaving home to escape family violence, child abuse or family breakdown.
Myth 2: All homeless young people are mentally ill or substance abusers.
Fact 2: Only a quarter of homeless people are mentally ill, and about 40 per cent are alcohol or substance abusers, with around 15 per cent suffering both disabilities. Those who are faced with mental illness or who suffer from substance abuse are often dealing with complex family issues or abuse.
Myth 3: Young homeless people are all criminals.
Fact 3: Most young homeless people are not criminals, and – according to the National Law Centre On Homelessness and Poverty – homeless people actually commit less violent crimes than housed people. This is a troubling misconception because it creates an unreasonable fear of young homeless people.
Breaking down these misconceptions will bring us one step closer to fixing the issue.
This Youth Homelessness Matter Day, I encourage everyone to sympathise with young homeless people and get involved in your community, host an event, run a campaign or make a donation to help young homeless people out of poverty and back into society.
FATHER CHRIS RILEY
Youth Off The Streets
