A radio host has let loose on a family living on welfare despite having two cars and sending their daughter to a private school as the broadcaster demands that the taxpayer get their money back.
Jennifer Searson and Mark Goodrick live in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with their 15-year-old daughter, while Mr. Goodrick complains that he doesn’t have the energy to hold a full-time job.
The couple, who rely on Centrelink and Mr Goodrick’s informal salary from his petrol station job, were featured on ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday night, discussing the need to increase income support.
But viewers of the program quickly learned that the family drove two cars, their daughter appeared to be attending a private school, they spent about $350 a week on groceries, and neither Mr. Goodrick nor Mrs. get a full-time job.
‘So what should I do? Am I doing the right thing about not being a supposed dole bludger and working five days a week for $850? Or do I work the hours I work and get that little bit extra?’ Mr Goodrick asked about the program.
“I don’t actually have the energy to say ‘hey, I’m going to work 60 hours a week'” so we had to make a decision, but that’s not supported, you’re seen as someone who is bluffing or taking advantage of the system. ‘
Ray Hadley, 2GB’s morning presenter, opened up to the couple Wednesday morning, questioning why taxpayers were funding people who seemingly “didn’t want to work.”
“Here they claim they live in poverty,” he said on his 2 GB radio program.
“There would be plenty of people listening to this program who live in poverty, who would live in their car, not use two cars to take their daughter to school and then go home and sit on their asses all day.”
The radio announcer said he found it “offensive” that the couple complained about spending $350 a week on groceries, an amount that families with more children wouldn’t even spend.
‘You don’t have the energy to work 60 hours a week, so we pay for it. We pay for your laziness,’ he said.
“If that’s the typical person on JobSeeker, I want my money back. I want a refund of part of my tax.
‘If I support those people and you work your ass off, we need a discount. We need our money back.
Jennifer Searson and Mark Goodrick live in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with their 15-year-old daughter. They were recently featured on ABC’s 7.30 program to discuss life on Centrelink
“I don’t want to help that couple.”
Mrs. Searson, a lab technician with degrees in educational support and business administration, pays for a caregiver for her daughter who has autism.
The maximum basic rate every two weeks for a carer’s payment is $971.50 according to Services Australia.
Mr. Goodrick, a qualified chef, casually works at a gas station and earns about $1,300 every two weeks.
In addition, he gets $250 from Centrelink, bringing his biweekly salary to nearly $1,600.
Hadley claimed he looked at a job board and found more than 230 job openings on the Sunshine Coast for cooks and chefs.
Neither Mr Goodrick nor his wife have worked full-time since moving from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast in 2018, which they did in search of a more affordable life.
“We’re poor and we’re on low incomes,” Goodrick said.
“There’s been an increase in calls from people on income support, especially JobSeeker, dole bludgers,” Ms. Searson said.
“Anyone can get into this situation.”
The family has been sued for having two cars, despite claiming they are struggling
The family lives in a modern apartment building with a balcony
The couple appears to have a Toyota Hilux pick-up and a Nissan Micra
Mr Goodrick said he and his wife were both ‘hard working’ but many companies are not looking for them due to their age.
Ms. Searson said she’s applied online three times this year for a part-time job at Big W but hasn’t heard back yet.
Hadley suggested she go to the store herself instead and ask to speak to the manager to tell them she was interested in working.
The clip was shared on the programme’s Twitter account and was inundated with comments from many who questioned whether the pair were an accurate portrayal of struggling Aussies.
“These people don’t have it nearly as hard as many people I know. Sure, they are fighters, but there are many single-parent families, so in times of financial hardship like this, the father may choose to temporarily sacrifice full-time work with a long commute,” one person said.
“I saw this and I thought this family actually seems to be doing well. Does well-being look like this?’ wondered another.
“Eating $350 a week for three people seems excessive!” said another.
“There are plenty of people on Jobseeker who are in terribly desperate situations, on the brink of poverty, that you could have shown in this story… This family is not in that situation. Mind boggling why you chose them,” one tweet read.
“This is not a real need. These are two people of working age who decide to work less and seek taxpayer money to supplement their lifestyle. You can’t refuse to work full time just because you get the difference from the state coffers,” another viewer wrote.
‘Two cars. Choose not to work. An insult to people who are really having a hard time on JobSeeker,” someone said.
It comes as the government is increasing some Centrelink payments as part of the budget announced last night.
The base rate of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance increases by $40 every two weeks starting in September.
“We understand there will be those who say $40 every two weeks isn’t enough, there will be those who will say it’s too much,” said Dr. Chalmers.
“We think we’ve struck the right balance between what we can afford and taking into account the economic pressures in the economy.”
The ability to qualify for a higher rate from JobSeeker will also be reduced from 60 to 55, due to an increase in the number of older Australians on the payment.
About 52,000 Australians between the ages of 55 and 59 will receive an extra $92.10 every two weeks.
Nearly $5 billion will be spent over the next five years to support more than 1.1 million people with income support.
Single parents will receive a boost, with the single parent allowance threshold raised to when the youngest child turns 14, up from the previous limit of eight years old.
The maximum rate of rent assistance in the Commonwealth will also rise by 15 percent for 1.1 million households.
Since rising energy prices are one of the largest cost items for households, energy bill relief has also been a key feature of the federal budget.
The government has earmarked $3 billion in aid as part of partnerships with states and territories.
$500 utility bill relief will be distributed to five million households, while $650 payments will be sent to one million small businesses.
The prediction is that energy lighting measures will result in electricity price increases being 25 percentage points lower, while gas price increases will be 16 percentage points lower.