Question :Using the the dole to fight the government

🤝 Movement Building
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#1

Preamble

The dole is currently $550 more per fortnight than it was before covid. However I have learned that this doesn’t apply to disability benefits (shocking!)
The Jobseeker dole is thus around $1200/fortnight And at least til September will stay that way and with no obligations to seek work in this time.

I am lucky enough to be receiving this and I understand not everyone can get onto it - although I have heard for many it is easier to get onto now than it ever has been. It’s also above the poverty line for certain circumstances now too (yay).

I think we would be naive , non opportunistic and utterly over privileged if we didn’t turn this momentous moment of financial support from the government against them. We are one of the luckiest, richest (Stolen Wealth) countries imaginable

I’m not saying xr needs to officially or unofficially say anything about this. But we could.

We could do a funny video where we describe jobkeeper as a rebellion wage to satirise this moment. Apply here [link to jobseeker website] with a job description reading:

Your task is to Build a mass movement to take on the government for their corruption and crimes against humanity and of ecocide

I’m interested in having a conversation about this and I acknowledge that I am fucking lucky to be getting jobseeker now and also that I am working harder on xr than ever before partially because of it.

We need to invite people in at this crucial time!

#2

What would you want to get out of putting out something about this?
Just thinking that rebels will already know about what’s on offer from government. And speaking publicly would be totally playing into right-wing media narrative of unemployed greenie protesters.

1 Like
#3

Yep that’s a very valid strategical consideration re: perceived narratives that we actively want to avoid. That probably renders the rest of the conversation pointless buuut.

I’m coming at it from two points:
1 Larrakin/cheeky attitude/humour angle (which can be achieved with other ideas or not connected to xr)
2 actual convenient resource but- as you said , most everyone is aware of it anyway.

Good feedback

#4

Yeah it’s great that people can have jobkeeper while dedicating time to rebellion and we should make the most of it while we can, but I’m not sure what else you want to make out of this?

#5

nothing

#6

Except that i’m thinking about the power of clear roles, potentially small ones, to invite people in to. e.g. the mobiliser role - but in smaller parts as well.

#7

@ageorge In my view it might be more useful to meet with and engage any unemployed person (who has the emotional capacity) to join us as a rebel!! Then they can form a group or join other groups and make their own issues about dealing with the government part of the rebellion!!

Given the number of workers treated like disposable shit, ‘we’ - XR - have a massive opportunity to mobilise!!!

Bigger message is, in my view, that ‘dole bludgers’ - oh no - now ‘job seekers’ (such a neutral CLEAN word with no indication of lack of labour market demand…) are vilified while:
–> large employers take job keeper and use it to give dividends to shareholders or keep their inordinately large pay packets
–> some banks have gotten away with laundering TRILLIONS of dollars
–> the actions identified in the royal commission into the banking, finance, and superannuation industry showed a pack of people who lied and cheated --> but NOT vilified!!

ie - this ties into inequality, money rebellion, and deconstructing the power structures

I hope I am not telling you the obvious here - an enthusiastic ‘newcomer’. Paula.

#8

Recruitment outside Centrelink … I like it :slight_smile:

#9

It’s not a bad idea, Andy. Set up a little outreach ‘stall’ outside of Centrelink offices on pay day, or whichever is the busiest day. And just chatting to people, giving them a badge, maybe even having a thermos of tea there to offer people or biscuits. Be interesting to see how many people engaged. Wondering if the govt. might be onto us pretty quick though! lol.