Woman on disability support pension breaks down into tears in front of senators, asks for enough money to afford food


Speaking at a Senate inquiry into the disability pension on Tuesday, Ricki Spencer broke down into tears in front of senators as she described the experience of living under insufficient government support payments.

The pensioner revealed that she can’t even afford fresh milk and has to buy mouldy bread just to eat.

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Ms Spencer did not have savings and had to beg real estate agents to let her rent a place. Photo: Paul Jeffers / SMH.

Ricki Spencer said she would be left with $20 or $30 "on a good fortnight" for food after rent, bills and medicines were paid for with her pension, which totals for less than $485 a week.

“It's just hard,” she confessed. “Even raising the rate by $30 or $40 a fortnight would help – it will be the difference between not eating and having something to eat.”

When the costs for her housing, bills, and medication went up during the pandemic, she was forced to skip meals and survive on canned food bought previously. This went on for two months.

“I'm not saying that we like steaks or anything like that. I’m just talking about having enough to buy fresh milk, not powdered milk, and bread that’s not gone mouldy.”

“I never thought in my whole life that I would be looking at food that’s gone off just so I can eat,” she said.

Ms Spencer admitted that she was “embarrassed” to live entirely on the government pension; the physical and mental health effects of her disability had forced her to stop working.

“I always thought I’d work. Nobody wants me to work now, and so I'm at the mercy of the government.”

Australia’s disability pension barely reaches above the national poverty line of $457 per week, and that is at its highest payable rate.

But food is not Ms Spencer’s only concern. The average weekly rental cost is climbing to a higher rate and is now inching towards $430 per week.

“The problem is rent is going up, and changing it’s climbing to a higher rate, but rental assistance is being capped,” she said

For those on Centrelink, rent assistance is currently limited to a maximum payment of $135 per week.

“The problem with the $135 capping is that many of us are paying around $350 – which is the minimum now for rent a week,” Ms Spencer said.

“I rang up five (real estate) agencies in Bendigo, and they said, unfortunately, they will prioritise working people over people on Centrelink payments.”

The final report from the inquiry into the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension will be handed down in February 2022.
 
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Not sure how much I believe all of this story - no shop would be allowed to sell mouldy bred but i agree rent assistance should be increased - my rent for a single person is $450 a week
 
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Not sure how much I believe all of this story - no shop would be allowed to sell mouldy bred but i agree rent assistance should be increased - my rent for a single person is $450 a week
You have to dumpster dive and more and more people are having to do thid
 
There must surely be organisations to assist this lady. Most larger towns or cities have at least one.. I certainly pray she finds the help she needs
 
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She should go and see the charity organisations like Salvation Army or St Vincent de Paul they will help
 
rent has gone through the roof it is out of hand know and as for giving those that have jobs first crack is stupid you can lose your job anytime you will not lose your government payment
 
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Make sure you eat bread straight away . I often have bread that turns mouldy next day also crumpets.ps this week strawberries.
 
Health Food Store in the Pines at Elanora sold me mouldy bread and it took me 4 weeks to get a refund after I took the bread back. The brand is Britts Organic.
 
I've tried for two years to get some assistance to buy a light weight wheelchair, it's rapidly becoming almost impossible to lift my current one into our car. My wife and I both try to but she also has some spinal damage which is getting worse.
I've contacted every known support (???) agency in Australia and none could or would give me any assistance. Some never even bothered to reply despite trying to contact them on a few occasions. You cannot even buy a light weight wheelchair in the country but must order them site unseen or tried out from OS manufacturers. These chairs range from approx. $8,000 -12,000, some more. And no disabled person I know would buy a wheelchair site unseen or tried out...especially at that price and the possibility of never being able to return it. Being over 65, I can get no help from the NDIS, seems you aren't allowed to be disabled in Australia if your are over 65...My brother in-law has spinabifida and he managed to buy one from a guy in Queensland, for a reasonable price, who made them but he no longer does. He's (brother in-law) also over 65 and can never get any help from anyone. It was even suggested to me to try Paralympics but they never even showed me the courtesy of a reply...
 
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There must surely be organisations to assist this lady. Most larger towns or cities have at least one.. I certainly pray she finds the help she needs
Bendigo has many places where she would be able to get food.She probably thinks that she would not be eligible because she is on a Disability Pension.Uniting Church has a number of facilities and I am sure that Salvation Army would also help. I know that the Eaglehawk Uniting Church has a very busy,compassionate service.I think that this lady needs help to find support.Surely she should have a social worker to guide her.I do not live in Bendigo,but a friend received support from Uniting Church.
 
Make sure you eat bread straight away . I often have bread that turns mouldy next day also crumpets.ps this week strawberries.
I either freeze bread,taking out only what I need each day,or keep it in a plastic container in the fridge.Crumpets also need to be kept in the fridge.Strawberries are so disappointing .They need to be kept in the fridge crisper.I seldom buy them now because they are usually not ripe and leaving them out to ripen can make them mouldy.Not like the good old days when fruit was not picked green.
 
What worries me is the threat of all pensioners including Aged Pensioners being put on the Indue Card. I can get no sense out of LNP members or even an answer in my local area. Labor has said they will scrap this card. Surely the media has to pick up on this.But then again Murdoch runs most of the media. Local LNP banches in Queensland are starting to vote for this card. It was pushed through parliament last year from what I can find out. If we are to be put on it, which I think is degrading and demeaning, we won't be able to shop at the supermarket of our choice and people are having trouble meeting their rental payments. I don't want to be told by any government what I can spend my aged pension on. I budget tightly to pay all my bills. I feel for this lady but there must be organisations in Bendigo who would help her. Maybe the Government needs to look at the NDIS for older people, don't know. Changes to the Aged Pension that went through in September also have me concerned.
 
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I've tried for two years to get some assistance to buy a light weight wheelchair, it's rapidly becoming almost impossible to lift my current one into our car. My wife and I both try to but she also has some spinal damage which is getting worse.
I've contacted every known support (???) agency in Australia and none could or would give me any assistance. Some never even bothered to reply despite trying to contact them on a few occasions. You cannot even buy a light weight wheelchair in the country but must order them site unseen or tried out from OS manufacturers. These chairs range from approx. $8,000 -12,000, some more. And no disabled person I know would buy a wheelchair site unseen or tried out...especially at that price and the possibility of never being able to return it. Being over 65, I can get no help from the NDIS, seems you aren't allowed to be disabled in Australia if your are over 65...My brother in-law has spinabifida and he managed to buy one from a guy in Queensland, for a reasonable price, who made them but he no longer does. He's (brother in-law) also over 65 and can never get any help from anyone. It was even suggested to me to try Paralympics but they never even showed me the courtesy of a reply...
 
What's the point of setting an official 'poverty line' at $457 a week? What's it supposed to mean? According to that, I'm well into poverty! Luckily I don't have any significant health issues.
 

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