As this issue of the DA goes to press, a significant push is on to persuade the Albanese Government to raise the rate of JobSeeker. The number of Government backbenchers publicly supporting this has grown from an initial 4 to at least 11: ‘The rate is too low’: pressure builds within Labor ranks to raise jobseeker (The Guardian, 27 April 2023).
On 24 April 2023, a coalition of over 400 prominent Australian politicians, academics, community leaders and advocates signed an open letter calling on the Albanese Government to raise the rate in the May 2023 Federal Budget. Click here to read the open letter on the ACOSS website.
This comes after the first report of the interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, released on 18 April, recommended that the Government commit to a substantial increase in the base rates of JobSeeker Payment and related working age payments as a first priority. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee was established in December 2022 to provide advice to the Government in the lead-up to budgets on policies to address disadvantage and boost economic participation. Their first report found that “current rates of these [JobSeeker Payment and related working age payments] are seriously inadequate, whether measured relative to the National Minimum Wage, in comparison with pensions, or against a range of income poverty measures.”
The FCVic Centrelink Working Group were fortunate to meet with a member of the Interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee in March 2023 and advocated passionately on the importance of improving the social security system in a range of areas, as have many others, and it is very encouraging to see our views being reflected in the Committee’s report.
Financial counsellors are seeing many clients who simply cannot make ends meet on the current levels of social security payments and are facing dire consequences – debt, bankruptcy, loss of housing and more – and well understand that raising the social security rate to a liveable amount is of the utmost importance and urgency.
FCVic has also presented evidence in recent submissions (1, 2) to the Senate about the positive impacts that the temporarily increased income support payments during the pandemic (the ‘Coronavirus Supplement’) had made to people’s lives, enabling them to bring themselves out of debt, and establish a pathway towards employment.
The Albanese Government has committed to spend $368 billion on nuclear submarines but has yet to commit to increasing JobSeeker despite ongoing calls to raise the rate. The Defence Strategic Review, released this week by the Government, acknowledged that “invasion of the Australian continent is a remote possibility.” Meanwhile, the clear and present danger is the fact that income support payments remain well below the poverty line. In a cost-of-living crisis, with high inflation, interest rate rises, and energy prices forecast to increase yet again between 20-22% this year, continuing to refuse to invest in making the social security system fit for purpose is unconscionable.
While the Government has made statements suggesting it is reluctant to act on this issue, there is an opportunity for many voices to create an overwhelming community push that will influence the budget decisions, and there has never been a better time to add your voice or ask others to join the call to Raise The Rate For Good:
- Click here to use the Raise The Rate For Good campaign online tool to call the Prime Minister’s office
- Click here to send an email to your Federal member
Read more:
- VIDEO: Senator David Pocock: “Raising the rate of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance is urgent” (ABC News)
- ‘People are under real pressure,’ Albanese government leaves door open on welfare payments in May budget (Canberra Times)
- Labor MPs break ranks to call for substantial increase to jobseeker (The Guardian)
- The government is under pressure to raise JobSeeker. Could you live on it? (SBS News)
- VIDEO: Leaders call for increase to JobSeeker in open letter (ABC News)