News
About $35 million a month will be stripped from the South Australian economy when the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement is axed in March, according to analysis of data from federal electorates and the federal Parliamentary Library.
News
The Morrison government has been warned that reducing the JobSeeker dole payment to its pre-pandemic level after a coronavirus supplement ends on March 31 will result in a national crisis.
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UPDATED: Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his government is waiting for more data before deciding whether to permanently increase unemployment payments or return them to the pre-pandemic $40 a day at the end of March.
Research into Australian social security data shows that receiving unemployment benefits is more common than expected, the number of female recipients is increasing, and heavier government enforcement has lifted suspension rates dramatically.
Thousands of cashless welfare card users will have a so-called trial period extended by another two years after a federal coalition bid to make the scheme permanent failed.
Critics claim that permanently boosting unemployment payments from its usual below-poverty-level base will be a disincentive to find a job. But research on the impact of the coronavirus supplement shows that’s wrong, argues Jeff Borland.
