A chorus of voices is calling for the government to “raise the rate” of the JobSeeker unemployment benefit, among them the Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe. And they’re right.
Once about as much as the age pension (and until recently called Newstart), JobSeeker is now less than two-thirds of it.
When the temporary coronavirus supplement ends on April 1, JobSeeker’s inability to provide a decent standard of living while unemployed will become mercilessly apparent.
JobSeeker versus the age pension Dollars per fortnight, base rate, single. Source: Ben Phillips ANU, DSS
After JobSeeker is boosted, something the government is considering, there’s something else we should fix.
Offering newly jobless five times as much as long-term unemployed would fail most in need
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Offering newly jobless five times as much as long-term unemployed would fail most in need
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