After the leaked video with unstatesmanlike statements by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), he wants to calm minds and invites people to the discussion group ‘Ask the Chancellor’. Tomorrow, Friday, it will become clear whether the exercise is successful. In any case, the invited aid organizations have a long wish list for Nehammer, who is mainly on the defensive when it comes to social issues.
The day before the chancellor’s meeting with representatives of aid organizations, they made several suggestions. Caritas and Diakonie campaigned for a reintroduction of the minimum income in its old form and for a package against child poverty. ‘Light in the Dark’ aims to tackle discrimination against people with disabilities, for example in the labor market, and the situation of single parents.
Lodging instead of a hostel
The event at the Vienna shelter Zukunft auf der Schmelz was triggered by a video played to the public during a Nehammer performance in Hallein, where he complained about the high part-time quota of women, criticized the social partners for slowing them down and said that there isn’t one in Austria You have to go hungry because you can still make do with McDonald’s burgers.
Large group with representatives from 13 organizations
The subsequent, sometimes sharp criticism prompted the ÖVP leader, after a moment of shock lasting several days, to invite thirteen organizations to nominate four people each for a personal interview. The groups include Caritas, Diakonie, “Licht ins Dunkel”, the Red Cross and Samaritan Association, as well as the Chamber of Labour, the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the AMS.
Landau: “Image comparison necessary, as the past few weeks have shown”
Caritas President Michael Landau said in a broadcast on Thursday that the meeting would be used to report on the reality of the lives of people in need. “The past days and weeks have shown that this image comparison is necessary.”
Diakonie director Katharina Maria Moser emphasized that there are major challenges and gaps in the healthcare system, education and prevention – especially for socially disadvantaged children. At school she demands, among other things, hot food or healthy snacks. These are a good contribution for all children, but they especially help poorer people.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
