Some Australians have started taking advantage of recent welfare improvements, but proponents argue that more must be done to address the constraints brought on by the growing cost of living.
Recently, the state government of South Australia fulfilled a budget pledge relating to Centrelink, providing some financial assistance to low-income workers and seniors.
About 192,000 individuals got up to $449 in cash, which was sent straight into their bank accounts, as part of the one-time, doubled cost of living concession payment.
According to SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, it was the highest state government payment ever made to those with low incomes and concession cards.
Owner-occupiers of homes earned $449 under the concession plan, compared to $224.60 for each family of renters.
Additionally, self-funded retiree homeowner-occupants having a Commonwealth seniors health card earned $224.60 per family.
While the payment was appreciated, Sharon Callister, chief executive of Mission Australia, told NCA NewsWire that when payments were maintained below the poverty threshold, everyone on income assistance suffered.
People are missing meals, becoming socially isolated, lacking the funds to heat or cool their houses, or becoming homeless as a result of not being able to pay their rent, she said.
“A one-time payment could lessen the discomfort in the short-term, but it does little to address the long-term concerns,” the adage goes.
The week after Minister Amanda Rishworth said that there would be no increase to JobSeeker in the October budget, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evasive when speaking about the programme.
According to Mr. Albanese, “We’ll assess JobSeeker and other payouts every single year, which is what you’d expect Labor administrations to do.”
“We had the highest pension rise in Australian history while we were in power,” the statement reads.
According to Ms. Callister, Australia’s safety net for income assistance must be sufficient to shield individuals from poverty and encourage them to look for employment if they are able to.
At $46 per day, the job seeker rate “remains woefully insufficient” and may actually deter individuals from finding new employment, she said.
If they can’t afford to pay for transportation to interviews, suitable attire, or a secure living arrangement, no one can live, much alone prosper and go back into employment.
“The federal government’s failure to boost JobSeeker is forcing individuals into homelessness and committing them to live in poverty.”
As the housing crisis intensifies and cost of living constraints mount, income assistance urgently has to be boosted.
Similar pressure is being placed on Mr. Albanese to implement his programme for less expensive daycare, which could help families save up to $11,000 annually.
The federal government will raise childcare subsidy rates for all families earning less than $530,000, although this won’t happen until July 2023 and will cost $5.4 billion over four years.
There are demands for the administration to move it forward to January, but Mr. Albanese has so far stood his own.
According to Ms. Callister, Mission Australia is a part of the Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five project.
“(We support) initiatives to expand early childhood education possibilities for young children’s accessibility, affordability, and quality,” she stated.
The expense of childcare has increased more quickly than the cost of housing or energy, according to the campaign’s website.
The article said that the annual expense of daycare for a household with two children may reach $25,000.
Families that want to work more than three days a week are discouraged since the expenses outweigh the income.