With the announcement of the federal budget last night, UOWTV Multimedia reporters Trent Thomas, Athena Bambaliaros and Lucy Smith have chatted to UOW students and staff about what the spending and cuts could mean for the health sector.
Post Grad’s Worse Off After Budget
It can be argued that the new Federal budget released last night has a lot of losers and not many winners, and with people now forced to pay seven dollars per doctors visit, this leaves low income earners, many of whom are students, out of pocket.
Former Federal Greens member for Cunningham and current Manager for Repository Service at the University of Wollongong, Michael Organ, says that it is an unnecessarily harsh budget for students.
“This payment is going to affect people who are not necessarily able to pay it and don’t have a lot of extra money.”
Organ said that would include people with disabilities and students who are on low level allowance.
“People who are unable to afford it will be unable to go to the doctors and this will put more pressure on the hospitals because they will go straight to the hospital instead of their local GP. ‘
Seven dollars doesn’t initially sound like much but it can be seen as another un-needed cost to people with already tight budgets, people such as post graduate students.
“If you’re a post-grad in Australia and you have a family to support and you have a very low income you have to continue your research and studies they are already under financial stress.”
Organ goes on to say that these post-grad students have to support there families but asks where are they supposed to find these funds.
“This is why universal health care has been an important part of Australian life for the last few deceased people deserve health care whether they can afford it or not students and families are going to suffer due to this budget.”
However, this isn’t the biggest concern for post-grad students after the announcement that the NewStart has been moved to 30 years of age, or 6 months unemployment. This is echoed by University of Wollongong graduate Rebecca Fist.
“The Health care changes in the Budget doesn’t really concern me. I am fairly well and I don’t mind 7 bucks to go to the doctor thats okay, my biggest concern about the budget which will affect the most post-grads is the changes to the New Start, I wont be eligible for New Start till I’m 30, I think your eligible 6 months out of a job but because Im a journalism graduate there will be times your kind of looking around for work.”
With the changes to NewStart, Fist fears this will be forcing students into the work force, and make them take positions that they would prefer not too.
“I think it will force people to scramble and to look for work anywhere they can and take jobs that aren’t desirable just to survive, I think thats the biggest problem for post-grads with the new budget.”
With the changes to the budgets making life more difficult for people graduating university Michael Organ believes its the opposite to what the government should be doing.
“We should be reducing fee’s not increasing them its in the best interest of the country to encourage students.”
UOWTV Multimedia reporter: Trent Thomas
The Budget and Smokers
UOWTV Athena Bambaliaros went around the campus chatting to people who smoke about what the budget could mean for them.
UOWTV Multimedia Reporter: Athena Bambaliaros
Money for Medical Research
The 2014 Budget saw the Liberal Government announce a $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund, coming from savings in health care revenue. The aim of the fund is to distribute ongoing funding for medical research, and will bankroll research to develop treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. UOWTV Multimedia reporter Lucy Smith had a chat to Theresa Larkin, a Medical School lecturer and IHMRI Medical Science Researcher, and Blake Hickey an Honours Student and Clinically-based Researcher about their opinions on the increased funding.
UOWTV Multimedia Reporter: Lucy Smith
