Repairing Australia’s income support safety net benefits us all

Falling out of work shouldn't mean falling into poverty. Let’s #RaisetheRateforGood.

Sometimes you find hope in the most extraordinary places; a ray of light in the darkest of times. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, BSL launched an initiative to find out how people were coping.

What we found was startling. There were stories of hope, even of transformation. One family told us that, for the first time, they were able to eat three meals a day. Tim, a father of two young children, told us that for the first time he could afford nappies and formula for his seven-month-old, food and clothes for his three-year-old and still have enough for himself and his wife to eat well. Others have spoken about being able to afford fresh food for the first time, of being able to buy their medicines and pay their rent on time.

The difference? The federal government’s $550 JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement.

This is a government policy that should be applauded … but it is being treated as temporary with the Supplement recently having been slashed by $300 a fortnight, and with no certainty about the rate of unemployment benefits beyond the end of the year.

It has taken a global pandemic for our leaders to acknowledge that the old pre-pandemic JobSeeker allowance was just too low. Without the supplement, our nation’s social security payments are totally inadequate. You cannot live on just $40 a day^#, and this is what people were forced to do before COVID-19 struck.

Approximately 1.6 million people currently rely on unemployment benefits because they either don’t have a job, or they can’t get enough hours to meet basic expenses.

With so many Australians facing job insecurity during this pandemic, the $550 fortnightly JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement was a lifeline. With the drop to a $250 supplement, thousands of Australians are being summarily dropped into hardship. Others, who have experienced longer term job insecurity are being plunged back into poverty.

There is also a strong argument for the government to extend JobSeeker eligibility to include temporary visa holders. These are people who have lost work due to COVID, but who don’t have a safety net or superannuation to draw from.

BSL is among a large and growing chorus of voices that are advocating for a safety net that protects all Australians from long-term hardship. We’re calling on the Australian Government to maintain the full Coronavirus Supplement and ensure a permanent increase to the JobSeeker payment. We’re also calling for an independent commission to review and set the rates and structure of social security payments to ensure they are adequate and fair.

During the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen things previously thought to be impossible become possible as government, organisations and communities work together. Now, more than ever, people understand how quickly personal circumstances can change; how quickly life can become tough and how a fair and just society does benefit all Australians.

To get through this crisis, we want to ensure everyone has an adequate income and can live with dignity.

Find out more and to add your voice to the call to #RaisetheRateforGood.

^# Jobseeker allowance single adult no child