JobSeeker Hypocrisy: ‘rule of law’ for Porter but not for those below poverty line

So much talk from the Coalition Government about the importance of the rule of law. So much hypocrisy because the Coalition continues to be in breach of a key international legal treaty yet is showing no desire to rectify that breach.

The right to an “adequate standard of living” and the right to social security are key planks of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Covenant is legally binding on nations that have ratified it, which Australia did in 1975. In fact Australia was a key driver in creating the Treaty.

Yet far from providing an adequate standard of living, government policy has, for 25 years, deliberately kept in poverty people reliant on unemployment benefits. The base rate of JobSeeker…