Centerlink payments with conditions

I don't try to make anyone feel bad - just ask everyone to take an introspective look at their position. If someone feels bad after their own introspection, maybe it's not wrong to suggest it in the first place - and I mean no offence by that, either.

why does she HAVE to work? are they overleveraged? would they consider that rectifiable?

No offence taken.

Leverage is not an issue, it's just a matter of having low paid jobs. They get by on about 35% of what my wife and I earn, which is a nice reality check for me.
 
RE I understand where you are coming from and for the record I would love to see some kind of income splitting available to couples.

A long time ago there was no part B. Daddy went to work and at tax time he got a nice refund in the form of a dependant spouse rebate about 1600 bucks. Then they decided maybe that money would better off in mummy's hand- enter parenting payment aka Part B I think it was around 66 PF back then, and it HAD to go into HER account or joint. That is why it is the way it is. It is for the parent NOT working, therefore if you work you don't get it.

Quite frankly I found it much better to plan on being wealthy instead of worrying about getting a little bit from centrelink. I never used it in our budget- it was the cream for outings and special stuff. If you depend on it then they have you, you are controllable.
 
Quite frankly I found it much better to plan on being wealthy instead of worrying about getting a little bit from centrelink. I never used it in our budget- it was the cream for outings and special stuff. If you depend on it then they have you, you are controllable.

absolutely
 
This whole scenario was just created by Howard and Costello and brainwashed into Australians. Once again I just can't believe they were all stupid enough not to pick that up.
Average Australians said these two clowns built a great economy , well to me that just depends on what you call a great economy.
Is building a country into one of the most "expensive" countries in the world , a great economy and then brainwashing the whole nation into thinking it's suddenly vogue for both parents to work - to "have" to work , for the first time in Australia's history, just to survive ,just to be able to buy a house and put food on the table a wonderful economy . And it still is that way and will be for years to come as a result .Not to mention the lucky country suddenly having unfordable education , health and skill shortages .
Would raising whole generations of a nations children without mothers , be a good economy - what's gonna be the outcome of that , how well adjusted could these poor kids be , how secure , how will they be at 20 or 30 - 40, not 2--3-4-5 , what effect will a Howard and Costello good economy have on their lives later ?
To hell with studies , stats or needing numbers from some f'd up study , to me it's pretty damn obvious that children are meant to have their mother on hand during the most crucial foundations that will mold the rest of their lives and wellbeing .
We made damn sure ours had their mum by their side and we now get comments sometimes even daily at just how together our kids are - people literally scratch their heads and compliment us all the time but all it is is security within the childs self , just the way they were meant to be raised and usually were until just a decade or so ago.

Besides , what's the point , they've created totally affordable child care anyway , the gov would come out of it all with sweet fa once all the claims and rebates are in.

But what lifetime of benefits is having the nations kids grow up well adjusted , happy and secure within themselves going to have ?

Don't get me started :eek:

Cheers
 
No offence taken.

Leverage is not an issue, it's just a matter of having low paid jobs. They get by on about 35% of what my wife and I earn, which is a nice reality check for me.

well, i guess there's not much that can be immediately done then, so she has to do what she has to do - and that's entirely fair enough.
 
To hell with studies , stats or needing numbers from some f'd up study , to me it's pretty damn obvious that children are meant to have their mother on hand during the most crucial foundations that will mold the rest of their lives and wellbeing .

Cheers

One of the reasons we have studies and stats is to either verify or challenge our in built biases and anecdotal evidence.

Here's a link to an study which found that working mothers don't harm their children. There have been other studies done that show the opposite. Personally, there are too many variables to definitively answer if child care damages kids or not.
 
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I am one that was a stay at home mum, who put my child in care for 1 day a week when she turned 2.

The reason? We had no family around to help out and give me any sort of break, no friends with children the same age for her to play with, the other kids in the street either were in care or at school ... she needed the socialising because otherwise it was just me and her day in day out for weeks on end (and dad at the end of the day) and I need the time out.

Tried playgroup for a while but the bane jabbering of the other STHM's about supermarkets, daytime TV and the absolute no interest in their "out of control" kids etc was driving me mental.
 
Many mothers work because they feel pressured by society to do so - whether they 'have to' for financial reasons or not. It's the the whole 'you can have and do it ALL' mantra that has been brainwashed into young women ever since Germaine Greer opened her mouth. Nothing wrong with this - as long as it's what they really want.

I am a woman in my 30's who felt the pressure from primary school onwards about how I had to have a 'career' and be 'independent'. I would be surprised if many woman my age, or of a similar age, didn't receive the same pressure. Think of the children! - :D I guess the feminists forgot about the children ...

I would also be surprised if, like me, mothers of young children today don't feel 'looked down upon' by society if they answer that age-old question, "And what do you do for a living?" with "I'm a stay at home Mum". What?! But you had every opportunity to BE something! Never before have women had so many opportunities and you've WASTED yours! Why don't you atleast work part-time? How does your husband feel about you not contributing financially to the household?! :mad: - yes, I really have received this last reply, despite the fact that my hobby of studying and investing in real estate over the years has resulted in contributing plenty of money to our household.

For what it's worth, with the kids getting older, I'm making a return to paid work next week - it's just a little casual job a few hours a week (and not what I studied or am qualified for that's for sure :)) but if it's not working out for our family, I'll ditch it in an instant.

To each their own but my kids come first ... It's a shame not all mums can have the luxury of choice.
 
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Many mothers work because they feel pressured by society to do so - whether they 'have to' for financial reasons or not. It's the the whole 'you can have and do it ALL' mantra that has been brainwashed into young women ever since Germaine Greer opened her mouth. Nothing wrong with this - as long as it's what they really want.

kudos to you. i think this is heavily promoted via the likes of Dolly, Cleo, WW etc - i detest women's magazines.

germain greer is actually misquoted a fair bit.

a lot of people think she stands for women doing it all - at once - rather than just having the choice and being accepted for whichever is chosen.

true feminism is based on choice, not tackling the world.
 
I am one that was a stay at home mum, who put my child in care for 1 day a week when she turned 2.

The reason? We had no family around to help out and give me any sort of break, no friends with children the same age for her to play with, the other kids in the street either were in care or at school ... she needed the socialising because otherwise it was just me and her day in day out for weeks on end (and dad at the end of the day) and I need the time out.

Tried playgroup for a while but the bane jabbering of the other STHM's about supermarkets, daytime TV and the absolute no interest in their "out of control" kids etc was driving me mental.

Fair enough, Lizzie. However I believe that mothers who need to utilise care so they can attend their jobs should be given preference. I'm sure it's not much of an issue in areas where there is a good supply and choice of day care centres/family day care, etc, but some areas have too few care providers and/or long waiting lists and I'd like to think that someone who needs to go to work can do so.

I can relate to the out of control brats at playgoups with mothers who wear blinkers :D.
 
We put ours in care one afternoon a week about when she turned 3, just so we could actually DO stuff without having her get into everything. Now she's in 3 afternoons a week so we can work. She absolutely loves it, and we get an awful lot done when she's not around.

I'm still waiting for the day she sneaks out of the house and tries to go to childcare by herself. She's *that* kind of child.
 
I think child care is one of those areas where people need to do what is right for their family, and that those looking on shouldnt judge, because you dont know what those family dynamics are.
I do think women do themselves a disservice by not taking enough time off before the baby comes and many career women go back to work far too quickly. the body and mind takes quite some time to readjust.
But, I found being a "housewife", looking after the kids, kind of soul destroying. Most of my friends were actually SAHM, so for me, there was lots of pressure not to work. But I couldnt cope with the endless job of cleaning, and while I love my kids, I found myself getting more and more depressed being at home with them. I had a lot of contact with other mums etc, but it just wasnt me. I think the hardest thing for me is that nothing is ever finished.. I'm a project type of person, and like to have a clear end point.... and there is never ever end to housework and child care.
So, work provided me with sanity. I did try to find ways to combine family with work... working from home, taking the kids on business trips etc.
I only worked part time, until about 6 mths before my youngest started school. But again, I found f/t work easier to manage with the kids than p/t work. When you work p/t, everyone assumes you still have time to help out at school, or take on extra responsibilities/ volunteer etc. When you work f/t, you have alot more freedom to say no to all of those extra school tasks without feeling guilty!! and it also makes work easier, cause you're not trying to cram a full time workload into part time hours.
I dont think the kids missed out in any major way by not having me around full time. I think there are a whole lot of SAHM's, who are like I was, watching Dr Phil and playing farmville and spending very little time actually interacting with their kids, who are sitting in front of the second telly all day. Those kids would maybe be better off in a structured environment where they are more active, social and learning more than just the latest television jingle.
 
I would also be surprised if, like me, mothers of young children today don't feel 'looked down upon' by society if they answer that age-old question, "And what do you do for a living?" with "I'm a stay at home Mum". What?! But you had every opportunity to BE something! Never before have women had so many opportunities and you've WASTED yours! Why don't you atleast work part-time? How does your husband feel about you not contributing financially to the household?! :mad: - yes, I really have received this last reply, despite the fact that my hobby of studying and investing in real estate over the years has resulted in contributing plenty of money to our household.
.

you need to come and spend some time with my friends.... ;)
 
Sorry, dont want to hog the thread, but just thought of something else.

My kids are tweenagers now, and alot of my friends who havent worked are thinking about going back to the workplace.

But on the flipside, some of my friends who have worked are thinking about, or are actually cutting back on their work, because they feel that their teenage children need more interaction.

I think we often miss teenagers in our discussions about child care. As they become more independent, its harder to find meaningful times/ways to interact with them. But they really need quite intensive support. I am finding the work-life balance harder to juggle now than I did when they were little.

But for me, one of the keys is having a house that is easy for them to invite their friends to, and supporting those opportunities for them.. which is one of the major reasons we are upgrading our PPOR to a bigger house with a pool, and we have also started having regular get togethers where they can invite friends, and still be part of a mixed adult/child/teenager group. Both of which are much easier to do when we have good incomes!
 
Funnily from information you've provided it sounds like he AND your parents are doing far better than you equity wise, so you never know, you yourself may be reliant and/or a part 'parasite' to the system one day.

Of course they are doing better than me at this point in time!!! That is because they are a lot older than me and have gone through a number of property cycles and a lifetime of working, building up their equity and paying down their mortgages. They have had many years of investing/saving. On the other hand I am just Starting out and that is why I dont have the same amount of equity as they do. *DUR* When I am my mum and dads age i'll be streets ahead and when I retire in my 60's I wont be reliant on the government. I'll have my own money.

:)
 
Of course they are doing better than me at this point in time!!! That is because they are a lot older than me and have gone through a number of property cycles and a lifetime of working, building up their equity and paying down their mortgages. They have had many years of investing/saving. On the other hand I am just Starting out and that is why I dont have the same amount of equity as they do. *DUR* When I am my mum and dads age i'll be streets ahead and when I retire in my 60's I wont be reliant on the government. I'll have my own money.

:)

Sorry, but I thought you were near 40 and working for quite a few years beforehand - so in terms of age gap and equity didn't think you were that far ahead.

Either way I found your comment quite judgemental, almost condescending, as if elevating yourself at his expense.
 
Of course they are doing better than me at this point in time!!! That is because they are a lot older than me and have gone through a number of property cycles and a lifetime of working, building up their equity and paying down their mortgages. They have had many years of investing/saving. On the other hand I am just Starting out and that is why I dont have the same amount of equity as they do. *DUR* When I am my mum and dads age i'll be streets ahead and when I retire in my 60's I wont be reliant on the government. I'll have my own money.

:)

I just turned 40 and I'm personally growing more wary of making strong statements like that, especially in comparison to say my parents, caue I see how may thigns I've done & tried and have not worked, how many things have hapened to people in their lives which wer eout of their control. Do I hope that I will do better than the previous generation ? I do.. do I believe I will because i am smarter ?...I wish...
 
I just turned 40 and I'm personally growing more wary of making strong statements like that, especially in comparison to say my parents, caue I see how may thigns I've done & tried and have not worked, how many things have hapened to people in their lives which wer eout of their control. Do I hope that I will do better than the previous generation ? I do.. do I believe I will because i am smarter ?...I wish...

At my fathers funeral, my brother said something along the lines of "when I was a teenager, I used to say "I'll never be like my father" in that tone of distate that teenagers use about their parents). Now that I have teenage boys, I say to myself "I'll never be like my father" (in a tone of awe and respect)

Like many people, it took me having children to appreciate how great my parents were. Before that, I thought they were somewhat incompetent, and wasted time and energy on things that didnt matter very much. Reflecting upon my parents life, I now cannot imagine how they managed to achieve anywhere near as much as they did. If I can achieve half as much as they did (not just financially, but socially/ family etc), I'll be very happy indeed.
 
At my fathers funeral, my brother said something along the lines of "when I was a teenager, I used to say "I'll never be like my father" in that tone of distate that teenagers use about their parents). Now that I have teenage boys, I say to myself "I'll never be like my father" (in a tone of awe and respect)

Like many people, it took me having children to appreciate how great my parents were. Before that, I thought they were somewhat incompetent, and wasted time and energy on things that didnt matter very much. Reflecting upon my parents life, I now cannot imagine how they managed to achieve anywhere near as much as they did. If I can achieve half as much as they did (not just financially, but socially/ family etc), I'll be very happy indeed.

Yes I have to agree with that.
 
I just turned 40 and I'm personally growing more wary of making strong statements like that, especially in comparison to say my parents, caue I see how may thigns I've done & tried and have not worked, how many things have hapened to people in their lives which wer eout of their control. Do I hope that I will do better than the previous generation ? I do.. do I believe I will because i am smarter ?...I wish...

Yeah I get what your saying. I'm saying things like that as a way to stay positive :) I know it will be tough!
 
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