Anglicare Australia’s plan to raise the rate of JobSeeker and tackle poverty
National
Anglicare Australia has laid out a plan for the next Federal Budget to lift millions of people out of poverty by raising the rate of JobSeeker and other key payments
Anglicare Australia has laid out a plan for the next Federal Budget to tackle poverty by raising the rate of JobSeeker and other key payments.
Anglicare Australia’s Submission to the next Federal Budget includes:
- Costings showing that JobSeeker, Parenting Payment, and Carer Payment could all be raised to $88 per day.
- This would pull almost 2.3 million Australians out of poverty, including 840,000 children.
- These measures would cost $198 billion over 10 years, less than the $254 billion cost of the tax cuts.
Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers said the Government has an opportunity to lift millions of people out of poverty.
“Since coming to power, the Government has been focused on cost-of-living pressures and incomes. The next Budget is their chance to help those on the very lowest incomes – people living on JobSeeker,” Ms Chambers said.
“JobSeeker and other Centrelink payments are languishing far below the poverty line. People trying to live on these payments are bearing the brunt of soaring rents, rising living costs, and a safety net that isn’t keeping up.
“Keeping people in poverty is not saving money. It is simply shifting costs onto families, communities, and services like ours.
“Raising the rate of these payments would ease that struggle and lift millions of people out of poverty, including hundreds of thousands of children.
“All of this can be done for well under the cost of the Stage 3 tax cuts.
“This is a clear choice. If the Government can afford to push ahead with tax cuts that are unfair and unpopular – polling shows that most of the biggest beneficiaries do not want them – then it has no reason to abandon action on poverty.”
Editor’s note: Read Anglicare Australia’s Pre-Budget Submission 2023-24 in full online.
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