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Australian government intent on scrapping JobKeeper and slashing JobSeeker despite mass unemployment
The Australian government is about to throw more than 1.5 million workers into potential unemployment by terminating its JobKeeper COVID-19 wage subsidy scheme. Simultaneously, on March 31, it will end the “Coronavirus Supplement” on JobSeeker dole payments, throwing another 1.6 million unemployed workers into dire poverty.
Yesterday, the Liberal-National Coalition government announced a supposed $25 a week rise in the underlying JobSeeker rate. In reality, it is another cut in the benefits, which were temporarily “supplemented” last March to avoid a social explosion triggered by Great Depression levels of joblessness.
A mass unemployment queue outside a Sydney Centrelink office last March (Credit: WSWS)
Remember all that talk about COVID-19 making Australians reluctant to return to shopping centres? Peter Allen says the evidence at Westfield is the opposite.
Labor pokes Harvey Norman over JobKeeper; IDX mulls return
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Pre-tax profit ($m) 28.8 v 15.8
Net profit ($m) 19.9 v 10.9
Interim dividend (¢) 5.5 v 5.5, Payable April 6
Integral Diagnostics patient activity is still affected by COVID-19 restrictions amid sporadic lockdowns, but chief executive Ian Kadish says he plans to return some JobKeeper payments once the uncertainty of the virus has passed.
The gesture from the radiology services group comes as Labor takes aim at billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey, demanding his homewares company Harvey Norman repay JobKeeper wages subsidies.
Retailers such as Nick Scali, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi,Temple & Webster, Adairs and Beacon Lighting have all benefited from a sales boom as consumers cocoon at home and redirect spending on travel and restaurants to furniture, homewares and appliances.
CIMIC hands back $20m in JobKeeper payments
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CIMIC, Australiaâs biggest construction group, is handing back about $20 million in JobKeeper subsidies received during the COVID-19 pandemic as new chief executive and chairman Juan Santamaria tries to improve relationships with governments and win more infrastructure projects.
Mr Santamaria wrote to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg this month to inform him the company would voluntarily return the payments received by some of CIMICâs smaller subsidies last year for use in keeping people in work.
âAs the largest contractor in Australia, we have made this decision as a demonstration of our readiness to play our role in the economic recovery agenda and to deliver necessary and world class infrastructure for all Australians,â Mr Santamaria said in a letter seen by