06
THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 7 | APRIL 2015
STATE
Ethnic body debunks Govt’s ‘Reclaim
Australia’ narrative
THE
Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) said it stood strongly with its
member organisations across Australia against the narrative purported by Reclaim Australia that calls on
the Federal Government to ensure the “Australian way of life” is maintained.
IN response to the Reclaim
Australia Rallies which took
place on April 4, 2015 across
Australia, FECCA emphasised the value of Australia’s
rich cultural diversity.
Chairman Joe Caputo
said that he found the presence of these rallies across
the country deeply disconcerting as they pose a risk to
social cohesion and harmony.
“In recent months there
has been a rise in racially and
religiously motivated attacks
against members of Australia’s multicultural communities,” Mr Caputo said.
“There have been positive examples of Australians
working to restore the relationship with migrant and refugee communities such as
the “I’ll ride with you” campaign.
“Despite
contributing
to the development of Australian society, many culturally and linguistically diverse Australians still feel as
though they don’t belong.”
Mr Caputo said that FECCA was concerned over the
increasingly hostile attitudes
towa rds Muslim Australians
and other minority groups.
“Whilst we respect the
right of every Australian
to demonstrate their views
peacefully, the rhetoric being expressed towards people
from culturally, linguistically
and religiously diverse backgrounds should concern the
wider Australian communi-
Housing welcomes super discussion
THE Housing Industry Association (HIA)
welcomes a public debate on allowing
first-home buyers to access their
superannuation for a home deposit.
“THIS is absolutely a discussion Australia has to have,”
said HIA chief executive
of media relations Graham
Wolfe.
“There are numerous benefits for first home buyers in accessing their superannuation
savings, including bridging the
deposit gap, reducing the size
of their home loan, reducing
the LVR (loan to value ratio)
and reducing the cost of LMI
(lenders mortgage insurance).”
“Treasurer Hockey is
right to flag the ongoing housing affordability challenges
facing first home buyers.
“As a nation, we need to
consider looking at superannuation in a different way.
“If superannuation is
about preparing for retirement, what better way is there
of achieving this goal than
opening the door to home
ownership.”
ty”, he said.
“A defining quality of our
country is that Australia has a
long history of migration.”
Since the post-war era,
Australia has evolved into a
culturally and linguistically
diverse society.
Migrants have contributed to the social, cultural and
economic fabric of Australia,
with the country greatly benefiting from this unique composition. Diversifying society ensured people gained
different cultural experiences
and outlooks.
FECCA highlights the
many positive attributes of
multiculturalism.
Mr Caputo said that it was
about the recognition, acceptance and celebration of our
cultural, linguistic and faith
based diversity, as well as our
shared commitment to Australian laws and democratic
values.
“The message these rallies perpetuate is that Austra-
lia is not a welcoming, inclusive place for people of multicultural and multi-faith backgrounds,” he said.
“It is important that the
wider Australian society
comes together to promote
harmony and acceptance.”
During this time of increased community angst,
FECCA reiterated the necessity to reach out to the multicultural community and foster a cohesive, accepting and
unified Australia.
WELCOME
to a regular
TALKING HUMAN SERVICES
ERVICES
S
column with Department of
Human Services General
Manager, Hank Jongen.
Here you can find out
important information about
Department of Human Services
the Australian Government
General Manager
Department of Human
Services, which includes Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support.
HANK JONGEN
Increase in Centrelink benefits
This month I’m writing to let you know that thanks to a recent indexation, most Centrelink
payments, supplements, and income thresholds have increased.
The indexation of our payments came into effect on 20 March 2015, meaning increases in
most payments, supplements, and income thresholds.
For pensioners in particular, you’ll be receiving a bit of a boost in your fortnightly payment.
Singles will now receive an extra $5.80 and couples an extra $8.80 per fortnight.
This means over the course of a year, single pensioners will have $153.40 more in their
pocket, and for couples that figure will be $228.80. In total, this increase will see the maximum
age pension rise to $860.20 a fortnight for single pensioners and $1,296.80 for couples.
There are also increases to Newstart and some of our family payments, so be sure to check
online against your payment type at humanservices.gov.au to see how you benefit from these
changes. This will help you to factor the new payment rates into your fortnightly budget.
Asset and income limits have also increased and means people on a part-pension or partpayment who have income or assets over the threshold could see an increase to their regular
payment amount.
As always, it’s essential that you keep your income and assets up-to-date and accurate to
avoid a debt. You can do this in a number of ways but the quickest and easiest way for you is to
use our self-service options.
If you haven’t already signed up for myGov, I use it, and I strongly encourage you to do so
as well. myGov allows you to link to a wide range of government services using a single username and password and you can update your income and assets quickly and at your convenience online.
You may also want to make use of our Express Plus mobile app, which you can use on your
smartphone or mobile device. With our apps, the ability to report income and assets, check your
payment and reporting dates, and even more functions, are at your fingertips 24/7.
To find out more about how much better off you and your family could be with the recent indexation of our payments, visit humanservices.gov.au and check the new payment rates.
Until next time,
Hank Jongen
Department of Human Services General Manager