Treasurer defends 'very substantial' $3.57 a day JobSeeker boost
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Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been forced to defend a modest increase to the dole after welfare groups and economists slammed the miserly boost.
The permanent base rate of JobSeeker payments is being lifted by $50 a fortnight, or just $3.57 a day.
Unemployed Australians and their allies have described the offering as a heartless betrayal.
Frydenberg insisted the increase was “very substantial” and shut down the prospect of negotiating a more meaningful ongoing boost to the unemployment benefit.
“The government is providing the safety net with JobSeeker, it’s not expected to be a payment that somebody is on indefinitely,” he told Nine on Wednesday.
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“The vast majority of people are receiving other supplementary payments.”
The government argues the dole must be affordable and not provide a disincentive to taking low-paid work.
It has tied the increase to much stronger mutual obligations on JobSeeker recipients.
Employers are being given a new hotline to dob in job seekers who turn down work. Individuals may have their payments docked if they cannot produce a valid reason.
Welfare recipients will have to attend face-to-face meetings with employment agencies and apply for at least 15 jobs a month.
People on JobSeeker for more than six months will have to work for the dole or engage in an “intensive training” program of short courses.
-AAP
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