A majority of people say they cannot live on the JobSeeker rate, boosting calls for the welfare payment to be increased. Source: SBS News.
Research from the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of NSW found 58 per cent of people could not live on JobSeeker, compared to 23 per cent who said they could make ends meet on the payment.
The survey of 2000 people found 62 per cent thought government policies had contributed to poverty.
The maximum rate of JobSeeker for singles with no children is $53.51 a day, or just under $750 a fortnight, while the rate is $57.32 a day for over 55s, after nine months on income support payments.
The ACOSS research revealed 76 per cent believed the incomes of those earning the least were too low and needed to be increased.
The council’s acting chief executive, Edwina McDonald, said the findings showed the Albanese Government needed to offer greater financial assistance to those on the payments.
“This survey shows popular support for the federal Government to intervene to directly tackle poverty and the wealth gap that is threatening Australia’s social and economic fabric,” she said.
“Most people know it is simply not possible to live on the punishingly low rate of JobSeeker that traps people further into poverty.”
Three-quarters of those surveyed said poverty could be solved with the right systems and policies in place, with 69 per cent believing poverty to be a big problem in Australia.
While the JobSeeker rate was raised in September, Mission Australia chief executive Sharon Callister said the amount received by welfare recipients was not enough.
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The majority of people on this payment say they can’t live off it (AAP via SBS News)
