Government ministers call for welfare to be taken off people who protest more than they look for work
Two senior Liberals have raised the prospect of taking welfare payments away from people who spend too much time protesting. VOTE, HAVE YOUR SAY
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The federal government could move to take away welfare payments from activists who spend more time protesting than looking for a job.
The Australian reports that two senior Liberals — Employment Minister Michaelia Cash and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton — have raised the prospect of taking away welfare from protesters.
Mr Dutton has also called on the public to take photos of disruptive activists and “name and shame” them as widely as possible.
“Taxpayers should not be expected to subsidise the protests of others. Protesting is not, and never will be, an exemption from a welfare recipient’s mutual obligation to look for a job,” Senator Cash said.
“Those who refuse to look for a job because they are too busy protesting may find they have their payments suspended.”
And Mr Dutton wants the courts to come down harder on protesters who break laws and disrupt cities and communities.
“The state government can pass laws that do reflect community standards and, at the moment, they don’t,” Mr Dutton told radio station 2GB shock jock Ray Hadley.
“The community expectation is that these people are fined or jailed and they should be jailed until their behaviour changes because they’re diverting police and emergency service resources from tasks they should be undertaking otherwise.”
The Australian reports that Mr Dutton’s comments comes after six people were charged with obstruction offences on Wednesday after a road-blocking protest by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion disrupted the Brisbane CBD during peak hour.
Two days earlier, four people involved in the same group were charged over a protest in which a woman climbed up a large tripod on a high-traffic CBD bridge at a similar time.
Shock jock Ray Hadley said three of the protesters who attached themselves to the Brisbane streets were welfare recipients, and argued that the benefit should be removed.
Mr Dutton responded by saying: “I agree, Ray,” adding that it was time for the community to “push back” against the “unacceptable” behaviour seen by those in the recent protest action.
“People should take these names and the photos of these people and distribute them as far and wide as they can so that we shame these people,” he said. “Let their families know what you think of their behaviour.”
Originally published as Government ministers call for welfare to be taken off people who protest more than they look for work
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