Spending for Australia on the Northern Rivers

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wants everyone who receives his extra welfare payment this week to go forth and spend for Australia and so help out the national economy.
Sorry, no can do.

The North Coast Community Housing Company put my rent up this week by more than $100 a week, with little thought as to how this will be paid or whether my welfare benefits will increase to meet this huge impost.

Despite the spin I'm hearing from the company in newspapers and on the radio, the fact remains that I will have to lay aside about $800 of the extra money coming in Canberra's December fiscal stimulus payment until Centrelink makes a decision on the inflated portion of my rent increase.

Regardless of Centrelink's decision I will be expected to pay at least $100-200 over and above 25% of my assessable income in the next month, because the housing company expects me to sub the period between the rent rise and Centrelink's new rent assistance entitlement being paid into my account.
Which makes a mockery of the housing company's claim that I won't ever have to pay more than $10 a week out of my own pocket towards annual rent increases.

That leaves me $600 to spend as and when I choose, which is better than nothing but hardly the Christmas largess that the Prime Minster envisaged for single pensioners.
So local small business and the bigger retail chains will only see a small and very temporary upward blip in their last quarter/first quarter sales figures, because the bulk of my money is likely going to feed the hungry maw of the housing company.

Merry Christmas - ho, ho, ho.

Shocked renter
Northern Rivers

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