Letters to LIFE
reprinted with permission

Update from Austrailia
by Sharon Lee Robertson - Jan 2005

Such a pleasure to receive a 'hello' from LIFE!   I have been terribly 'slack' here - been a pretty weird 18 months or so. Plus, a rather large snake in the house which has resulted in decision to 'fix' the front room floor --only room with wood and 'original' at that and this cottage is about 100 years of age!   Snake (5', fat 'brown' -yeah, all Aussie snakes can kill you) - it disappeared through a crack between the skirting board and the floorboard - inside. If it can go out, it can come in. Hence, the need to fix.

And the heat.   Last week - thermometer outside - well, in the shade it sat on 46C - 40 is about 102F- so perhaps 112F on the day?   And I don't have 'air-conditioning' - summer is a 'slow time' for me - spend a lot of time wrapped in wet towel under the ceiling fan!   SO it's been HARD TO STAY FOCUSED ON "WORK".

Work-Reform legislation passed the Senate, where the neocons have a majority there and in the House.   Basically, it dismantles the institutional support for worker's 'rights' to 'rights' at work, as well as a 'right' to a 'fair pay' - the wages tribunal is to be replaced by a 'gov't' agency, a 'fair pay' committee.   Everyone goes onto a 'worker's agreement' negotiated between the individual worker and the employer.   No union representation, no collective negotiation.   IF someone is 'unemployed' and doesn't like the conditions on offer and doesn't sign on (refuses work) THEN they cannot apply for 'unemployment benefit' for 8 weeks - meanwhile, a condition of the receipt of benefit is that they go off and 'look for work' as directed by CentreLink - so there is nothing to prevent this '8 weeks' to 'roll over' unless or until the individual accepts the work on offer.  

Not certain what the basic unemployment benefit is at the moment - when I received it some years ago it was $363 a fortnight - but when I turned 60 it went up a bit (Mature Age Allowance!) and I was exempted from the 'work test' - now, safely on Old Age Pension which is now at $494 a fortnight.   My friend is 54, receives the Disability Pension, which is also $494 a fortnight.   Technically, he COULD be subject to the new working conditions - all new people to the Disability Allowance now receive ONLY the 'NewStart' - a drop of nearly a hundred dollars a fortnight.   Likewise, anyone receiving a 'supporting parent's' benefit - if their youngest child is 6 years or older - it's on to the NewStart - with a terrific drop in income.   Childcare is relatively scarce and 'user pays' - and that's not counting the 'cost of working', like transport, lunches, etc.   One can only hope that come the next election, that Labour gets back in and reverses the lot.

Also gone by the board is the 'involuntary fees' charged university students to cover the 'student union' activities - now it is 'voluntary' which means that a lot of services won't be available.   Reason?   Well, some of those 'fees' paid for some political activism! The lines are well and truly being drawn.

Yesterday, heard a repeat of an Adelaide "Festival of Ideas" presentation from 2005, replayed by the ABC Radio National.   Germaine Greer gave a talk on how it might be a good thing is Australia became a nation of 'Hunter Gatherers'.   Seems a completely off the board sort of thing to present, in OUR society.

But I reckon the 'basic income' ideas - very similar.   My own new year's resolution is TO WORK towards getting a universal income distribution - no strings.   Fiat based, so it doesn't come out of tax revenue.   Have added, personally, a commitment to what I think of as the "1%" movement. 1 individual out of 100 to 'serve' that community of residual 999 - supported by an income equivalent to the old age pension (about $250 a week). [see Sharon's letter #2 for more]  

Initial task is simply to knock on doors of the residences 'adjacent', 'proximal' - find out who's where, need levels, demographics, etc.   Eventually, help organize 'mutual support', resource sharing, 'active 'community'.   Not counting as 'employment' - stipend received is 'a gift'.   Whole idea is to 'bypass' existing government legislation and bureaucracies.   If the 999 can contribute $11 a month -group is self-funded. If outside funding (sponsors) - well, you work out the numbers.   Finally, people like myself - OAP's - HA!   Free to run with it! Maybe seems a bit unnecessary just at the present - but next couple of decades?   If the financial institutions collapse?   If...?PeakOil?

Am writing letters to 'names' presented on the ABC - really trying to push the notion of PEOPLE FOCUSED' future scenarios' and the '1%' concept (plus funding - bypass gov't, direct action - EVERYONE can COUNT)

But do think the 1% notion has merit.    Over time, the political base for a whole "FailSafe' plan might be developed.   More and more have been thinking of the French Revolution and why it happened - now, the Aristocracy is more difficult to identify - but if there is any significant 'crash' - !   'The People' are going to cop it, bigtime.   Not into 'chopping off heads' - but come the hardtimes - the banks have definitely got to take a back seat.   That definitely won't happen TODAY - so there is definitely some groundwork to be done... against the day.  

Human Rights platforms a goer.   Point being that all the Resolutions explicitly state that 'Governments" cannot legally make laws that deprive their citizens of their basic human liberties.   "States", per se, do not therefore enjoy absolute 'rights'.   That means that not every law a gov't may establish is necessarily a 'legal' law, in human rights terms.

I don't believe that depriving a person of 2 month's lifesupport because they don't want a particular job is 'legal', in UN terms.   But what individual can possibly 'fight' the ruling?   Me, I want the concrete essentials.   If the only way to begin to get that is to 'bypass' the 'establishment' -well and good.   Do it!   It's called 'self-empowerment'!

Cheers - and lets ALL have s very good 2006!
Sharon Robertson

Email Sharon Lee Robertson or write to her PO Box 36, Koolunga SA 5464, Australia.

See Sharon's first letter about her idea for a book: FailSafe Humanity, more on the 1% movement in letter #2.