Majority of Australians agree JobSeeker payments not enough to live on
As cost-of-living pressures continue to impact Aussies, most Australians agree income support payments are not enough to get by, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and UNSW, found that less than a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents believed they could get by on their current JobSeeker payments.
This comes after the federal government’s Economic Participation Advisory Committee recommended that the government increase working age support payments in the upcoming budget.
Current JobSeeker payments are $409 a week, and the survey found 87 per cent of respondents agreed they should be enough to ensure people don’t skip meals.
Nearly 60 percent of people believe government policy causes poverty in Australia.
ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said Australians understood there were “systemic causes” of poverty.
“The social security system is failing people and needs to be fixed,” Dr Goldie said.
“People in Australia understand that there are systemic causes of poverty and they want a social security system that will actually keep people out of poverty.
“The vast majority want unemployment benefits to be sufficient so that people do not skip meals. This shows that there is strong public support for the recommendations made by the Federal Government’s own expert Committee.”
Previous ACOSS findings had found more than one in seven Australians were living below the poverty line in 2022-23, meaning more than 3.7 million people.
“Poverty is not a personal failing. It is the direct result of income support payments being kept well below what is needed to eat and keep a roof over their heads,” Dr Goldie said.
“The evidence and basic morality all point to the same solution: Raise the interest rate to a level sufficient to meet basic needs.”
