Antipoverty Centre response: Government rejects key proposal of pointless report on raising welfare payments

It’s what we all knew would happen, and it happened.

Apr 18, 2023

No one needed another report. Everyone knows welfare payments are abysmally low, even the Economic “Inclusion” Committee that’s packed out with well paid people who don’t understand our lives.

We have nothing kind to say about the EIC report released today. At the end of the day it served its purpose: to marginalise voices the government doesn’t like and promote the ones they do.

But it doesn’t matter, because the government never cared what the committee would say.

They commissioned this report because they want to be seen to be doing something for people in poverty without doing anything at all. Everything they say about the things that affect our lives is a pantomime.

Government will not lift jobseeker, despite call for ‘substantial increase’ A “substantial increase” to “seriously inadequate” jobseeker unemployment payments has topped the wishlist of the economic inclusion committee established by the government as part of a deal with Senator David Pocock. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, released the advice of the interim economic inclusion advisory committee on Tuesday, promising some relief and committed that “there will be measures in the May budget to address disadvantage” including energy price rebates. Guardian Australia understands that the government will not implement the report’s central recommendation: to lift jobseeker, citing the fact that increasing it to 90% of the pension would cost $24bn over four years. The committee, chaired by the former families minister Jenny Macklin, concluded that on “all indicators” jobseeker and youth allowance are “seriously inadequate, whether measured relative to the national minimum wage, in comparison with pensions, or against a range of income poverty measures”. People on these payments face the highest levels of financial stress in Australia. Committee members heard from people who live on income support having to choose between paying for their medicine or electricity bills.

We refer members of the media and supporters of people in poverty to our previous remarks as nothing has changed to improve the credibility or relevance of this committee.

Antipoverty Centre media hub

Civil society should not engage with Macklin-led Economic Inclusion Committee until it is inclusive

The Antipoverty Centres condemns the Labor government’s decision to appoint Jenny Macklin as chair of David Pocock’s Economic Inclusion Committee. This decision will devastate welfare recipients who felt a shred of hope when the committee was first announced…

2 years ago · The Antipoverty Centre

Media contact: 0413 261 362 / media at antipovertycentre.org

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