Catholic Social Services Australia has called on the Albanese Government to increase JobSeeker and other payments before planned tax cuts, estimated to cost $243 billion, take effect in 2024.
CSSA executive Monique Earsman made the call following the release of Anglicare Australia’s research paper, A Clear Choice: Ending poverty for the cost of stage three tax cuts, which finds that the Government could raise the JobSeeker payment and the Parenting and Carer payments above the poverty line, as well as tackling the shortage of social homes, for less than the cost of the tax cuts.
“The tax cuts, particularly those to high-end income earnings, could be better spent on protecting and providing for the most disadvantaged and disenfranchised in our communities,” Ms Earsman said.
“Despite Australia’s good fortune and wealth, we still see hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens living below the poverty line on subsistence incomes.
“And despite having made election-winning commitments to deliver the stage three tax cuts, the Treasurer and Prime Minister can look to this month’s budget, make the right decisions and deliver generational benefits to those most in need.”
Anglicare Australia’s research paper shows that for the full cost of the tax cuts:
- The JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment, and Carer Payment could be raised to $88 per day which would lift almost 2.3 million Australians out of poverty, including 840,000 children
- The Government could also build 36,000 social homes each year
- This program would end the shortfall and provide affordable homes to hundreds of thousands of people
- These measures would cost $208 billion over ten years, less than the $243 billion cost of the tax cuts.
FULL STORY
Increase JobSeeker and other payments before stage three tax cuts (CSSA)
RELATED COVERAGE
A Clear Choice: Ending poverty for the cost of tax cuts (Anglicare Australia)
‘Shame’ of one in six kids living in poverty, says ACOSS (The Australian)
