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Millions of Aussies to receive cash boost as welfare payments rise

<p>Millions of Australians who rely on welfare payments will receive a much needed cash boost as of Friday, thanks to an indexation boost. </p> <p>Recipients of the age and disability pensions, rent assistance, carer payments, and JobSeeker payments will all receive the increase. </p> <p>Age pensioners, as well as those on the disability pension and carer payments, will see an increase of $28.10 a fortnight for singles and $42.40 a fortnight for couples.</p> <p>This boost will take the total payment per fortnight, including energy supplement, to $1114.40 for singles and $862.60 for each member of a couple.</p> <p>Maximum rates of Commonwealth rent assistance will also be increased by 10 per cent from today, with indexation applied on top, as single recipients, with no children, renting on their own, and receiving the maximum rate will get an additional $23 per fortnight in rent assistance.</p> <p>For families with one or two children, their payment will increase by $27.02 per fortnight.</p> <p>Single JobSeeker recipients with an assessed partial capacity to work of zero to 14 hours per week will move to the higher rate of JobSeeker, receiving $849.50 a fortnight (including the energy supplement and pharmaceutical allowance).</p> <p>"This indexation will deliver timely boosts to people receiving allowance payments and pensions, ensuring that these vulnerable cohorts have more money in their pockets for everyday expenses," Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said.</p> <p>A full breakdown of the payment changes <a title="can be found here" href="http://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-department/benefits-payments/previous-indexation-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can be found here</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

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Cash boost for millions of Aussies as indexation kicks in

<p>Millions of Australians are set to get a cash boost within weeks as the Services Australia payments are indexed on top of additional increases to Rent Assistance payments, with the changes coming into effect on September 20</p> <p>The indexation will be applied to a range of pensions and payments including the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payments, Commonwealth Rent Assistance, JobSeeker, and Parenting Payments.</p> <p>The indexation increases of up to $41.50 a fortnight will vary based on the payments.</p> <p>Centrelink JobSeeker recipients will receive an extra $71.20 per fortnight. </p> <p>“Single JobSeeker Payment recipients with an assessed partial capacity to work of 0 to 14 hours per week will move to the higher rate of JobSeeker, receiving $849.50 a fortnight,” the Department of Social Services said.</p> <p>The maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance will be increased by 10 per cent.</p> <p>For families with one or two children, he Rent Assistance fortnightly payment will increase by $27.02.</p> <p>Single age pensioners will see an increase of $28.10 to their fortnightly payments, and recipients in a couple will receive a combined $42.40 increase to their payments.</p> <p>The same increase will apply to the Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment.</p> <p>Single recipients receiving the fortnightly Parenting Payment will  receive a $19.80 increase, while single recipients without children will get a $15.30 boost. </p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Aussie carers to receive a hefty cash boost

<p>Australian carers are set for a hefty financial increase in addition to their ongoing support payments from July 1st. </p> <p><a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/carer-supplement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Services Australia</a> confirmed that those receiving the Centrelink Carer Supplement will see a $600 cash boost automatically hit their bank accounts between July 3rd and August 2nd. </p> <p>Carers will receive the $600 annual supplement for each of the carer payments they receive.</p> <p>That includes the Carer Payment, which provides income support for over 300,000 Australians who, “because of the demands of their caring role, are unable to support themselves through substantial paid employment.”</p> <p>The payment will also supplement recipients of the Carer Allowance, which can be received in addition to income support payments, and is received by over 640,000 carers who “provide daily care and attention at home for a person with a disability, severe medical condition or who is frail and aged”.</p> <p>Those receiving the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Partner Service Pension and Carer Allowance, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Carer Service Pension will also be eligible for the cash boost. </p> <p>“How much you get depends on the percentage of care you provide,” Services Australia said.</p> <p>“You’ll get a Carer Supplement for each eligible payment you get. For example, if you get a Carer Payment and a Carer Allowance, you’ll get two Carer Supplements.”</p> <p>“This payment doesn’t add to your taxable income,” Services Australia said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Millions of eligible Aussies about to receive financial boost

<p>Starting this Wednesday, millions of Australians relying on Centrelink benefits will see a welcome increase in their payments. With indexation kicking in, fortnightly boosts ranging from $14 to $30 will be allocated to eligible recipients, depending on their specific circumstances and the type of payment they receive.</p> <p>This adjustment will not only benefit current beneficiaries but also extend support to more individuals, with an additional 77,000 parents now qualifying for higher payment rates. The eligibility criteria for certain payments have been expanded, particularly for parents whose youngest child is under 14, a significant extension from the previous threshold of under eight.</p> <p>Income and assets limits tied to these payments will also experience an uptick in line with the indexation process, offering further relief to recipients. But how exactly will these increments manifest across different categories of payments?</p> <p>For single parents, the fortnightly payment will see a boost of $17.50, while partnered parents will witness an increase of $12.30 individually. Moreover, the income free area will rise to $1,345 for each person, an enhancement of $20 per fortnight.</p> <p>Jobseekers with children or those aged over 55 will receive an additional $14.40 fortnightly. Single JobSeeker recipients without children and individuals aged over 22 on ABSTUDY will enjoy a $13.50 increase per fortnight, with couples receiving an extra $12.30 each.</p> <p>Rent assistance, however, will see relatively modest increments, ranging from $2.27 to $3.40, depending on the recipient's family situation.</p> <p>For those on the age pension, disability support pension, and carer payment, the increase is more substantial, with singles receiving an extra $19.60 and couples combined receiving $29.40 each fortnight. This brings the maximum rate of the pension to $1116.30 for singles and $1682.80 for couples, including pension and energy supplements.</p> <p>Amanda Rishworth, the Social Services Minister, explains that indexation plays a crucial role in ensuring that welfare recipients can cope with inflation and the rising cost of living – and that addressing these pressures remains a top priority for the government.</p> <p>This increase in Centrelink payments comes at a critical time when many Australians are grappling with economic uncertainty due to various factors, including the ongoing pandemic. While these adjustments may seem modest to some, they can make a significant difference for those relying on welfare support to make ends meet.</p> <p>It's essential for eligible individuals to stay informed about these changes and ensure they receive the full benefits they're entitled to. For those who may be unsure about their eligibility or how to navigate the system, seeking assistance from Centrelink or relevant support services can provide valuable guidance.</p> <p>As the cost of living continues to evolve, initiatives like indexation serve as vital mechanisms for maintaining the welfare safety net and supporting vulnerable members of society. By keeping pace with economic realities, these adjustments strive to provide meaningful relief to those who need it most, contributing to a more equitable and inclusive society for all Australians.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty </em></p>

Money & Banking

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Millions of Aussies to get cash boost in weeks

<p>Millions of Australians are set to receive more money when payments are indexed. </p> <p>On March 20, those on the age pension, disability support pension and carer payment will be pocketing extra money. </p> <p>Single people on the pension and carer payment can expect an extra $19.60, with maximum amount increasing to $1116.30. For couples, the rate will go up $29.40 per fortnight, with the maximum being $1682.80.</p> <p>People on rent assistance, JobSeeker, single parenting payments and ABSTUDY will also benefit from payment increases, with single parenting payment going up by $17.50 a fortnight.</p> <p>Single JobSeeker recipients with no kids, and people over 22 on ABSTUDY, will get an extra $13.50 per fortnight, while each member of a couple will get an additional $12.30 per fortnight.</p> <p>The government has also changed the eligibility criteria for parents seeking welfare payments, with the last budget revealing that 77,000 parents will receive benefits for the youngest child up to the age of 14 instead of eight. </p> <p>The income and assets limits will also be increased in line with indexation in March.</p> <p>Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said that these changes will be implemented to ensure that Centrelink recipients would be able to have more money in their accounts, with the rise in cost-of-living. </p> <p>“Our number one priority is addressing inflation and cost of living pressures,” Rishworth said.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

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Millions of Aussies set for a pension boost

<p>Millions of Australians are set to receive a generous cash increase when an imminent welfare payment indexation comes into effect. </p> <p>Those on age pension payments from Centrelink will see a boost to their payment from Tuesday. </p> <p>According to figures from the Department of Social Services, single pensioners will receive an increase of $32.70, taking their payments to $1096.70 a fortnight.</p> <p>Couples on the adult pension will have their fortnightly payments increase by $24.70 to $826.70.</p> <p>Those on Jobseeker will also receive a boost to their payments, as payments will increase by $56.10 a fortnight to $749.20 for single people aged 22 or more with no children, and by $57.30 a fortnight for those with children to $802.50.</p> <p>Single people aged 55 or over will also have payments increased to $802.50 after nine months.</p> <p>Partnered people on Jobseeker will get a $54.80 increase to $686 a fortnight. </p> <p>Centrelink recipients on rent assistance, youth allowance and Austudy payments will also receive a boost to their fortnightly payments. </p> <p>Despite the increases across many welfare recipient groups, the Australian Council of Social Services says the increases are not enough.</p> <p>ACOSS said people almost three quarters of people they had surveyed on income support were eating less or skipping meals as the ongoing cost of living criss worsens. </p> <p>Half of the respondents said the incoming increase would not help at all, prompting the ACOSS to call for income support to at least match the pension rate.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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"What am I going to do?”: Centrelink mother points out crucial flaw in new budget policy for parents

<p>An unemployed mother who relies on Centrelink benefits has broken down while noting a fatal flaw in Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ Federal Budget promises to parents.</p> <p>Jessica Blowers told ABC’s <em>Q&amp;A</em> program that she will be forced off the Single Parent Payment when her daughter turns eight in August, leaving her unable to afford the rent increases.</p> <p>Currently, single parents can claim the Parenting Payment of $949.30 a fortnight until their youngest child turns eight. By September 2023, the age limit for the pay rise to when the youngest child is 14, as part of Chalmers’ budget.</p> <p>Ms Blowers is one of many copping the brunt of it as her daughter’s 8th birthday is four weeks before the new rules begin.</p> <p>She will also see a rent increase during that period from $900 a fortnight to $960.</p> <p>“What am I going to do? What is my choice, other than I am doing my best to get a job so that I can keep a house over my daughter's head,” she stressed to the treasurer.</p> <p>“When I'm applying for the jobs, I am faced with being told that more than 100 other candidates have applied for the same jobs - I'm not sure how I am supposed to compete against 100 other people for one job.”</p> <p>Ms Blowers added she “would like to know what measures the government has in place to bridge the gap that I and other parents in similar situations will find ourselves in”.</p> <p>“I don't have anywhere to go because I am paying my entire pension in rent. Everywhere else in Sydney is comparable to that.”</p> <p>Although sympathetic to her situation, Chalmers said those suffering like Ms Blowers were “the reason why we are lifting the age from eight to 14”.</p> <p>“This is something we were really keen to do in the Budget because we recognise the pressure that you are under as a single mum,” he explained.</p> <p>However, Chalmers was adamant that the new system could not be introduced any earlier than September 20, 2023.</p> <p>“We've tried to do is bring that change in as soon as possible. We think September is the soonest that we can do it,” he said.</p> <p>“I understand that that means a few weeks for you going from the current payment onto JobSeeker and (then) back onto the single parenting payment.</p> <p>“I would love to avoid that if we could, but what we're trying to do is provide this extra assistance ... that you need and deserve. If we could avoid those couple of weeks, we would, but September is the best we can do.”</p> <p>In total, some 57,000 single parents, 90 per cent of whom are women, will benefit from the new scheme.</p> <p>Previously they would have been moved onto the lower JobSeeker rate when their youngest child turned eight.</p> <p>“By age 14, children have typically settled into high school and need less parental supervision, and single parents are in a much stronger position to take on paid work," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said when the policy was announced.</p> <p>Historically, the single parent payment was eligible for singles with children aged up to 16.</p> <p>But former prime minister John Howard, later supported by Julia Gillard, cut the age to eight in an attempt to encourage parents back into the workforce.</p> <p>Two advisory bodies have called for the government to extend the payment and the eligibility criteria.</p> <p>It is understood mutual obligation requirements will remain in order to continue encouraging parents to go back to work.</p> <p>Speaking to Nova radio in Perth, Mr Albanese explained he knew “firsthand what it's like to grow up with a single mum doing it tough”.</p> <p>“We want to look after single parents because we know that the role that they play in raising their children is such a priority for them and they’re deserving of more support,” he said.</p> <p><em>Image credit: ABC Q&amp;A</em></p>

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Over-55s the only group to receive Centrelink payment boost

<p>Older recipients of JobSeeker will receive a higher welfare payment as the federal budget is set to include an increase in payments for 227,000 Aussies.</p> <p>According to <em>7News</em>, the budget will include an increase in the base rate of the JobSeeker for people aged 55 and above.</p> <p>The change honours Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ promise that an increase “will be focused on the most vulnerable”.</p> <p>Finance Minister Katy Gallagher previously committed to a “significant improvement” in terms of the budget.</p> <p>When asked if the rate of JobSeeker would be lifted, Gallagher revealed the budget would contain “ongoing” investments to help people with cost-of-living pressures, in addition to one-off measures.</p> <p>“This budget will have a significant cost-of-living package and that cost-of-living package will be targeted to the most vulnerable Australians,” she said.</p> <p>About 227,000 Jobseeker recipients are 55 and over, which is the highest number of any age group and the group most likely to be unemployed long-term, meaning they are without a job for five years or more.</p> <p>The majority of people in this group are women.</p> <p>Senior sources reportedly told <em>7News</em> that the increase will be modest, not the $100-a-week advocates are hoping for but what the budget can afford.</p> <p>The change is unlikely to please Raise the Rate campaigners, who have called for the government to bring payments above the poverty line.</p> <p><em>7News </em>reported that the government will sell the moderate increase as a “responsible first step”, an increase that will help the most vulnerable of JobSeeker recipients and honours its election commitment to do what it can to help within the restraints of the budget.</p> <p>The pressure continues to pile up for the government to substantially increase income support payments above $49.50 a day for singles on JobSeeker and $40.20 a day for Youth Allowance.</p> <p>An open letter to the Prime Minister, which has been signed by more than 300 politicians, community advocates and prolific Aussies, called for an increase to be included in the budget to support those most in need.</p> <p>“Right now, the rate of JobSeeker is so low that people are being forced to choose between paying their rent or buying enough food and medicine,” the letter, coordinated by the Australian Council of Social Service, read.</p> <p>In 2022, the council’s research found six in 10 people on income support were eating less or reporting difficulty getting medicine or care due to their inadequate income. This increased to seven in 10 in March 2023.</p> <p>The budget plans to extend single-parenting payments and increase rental assistance - particularly for women.</p> <p>Around $120 billion in Morrison Government road and rail projects will be reviewed and money reprioritised, with hundreds of smaller projects likely to be stopped.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Major boost to pension and allowance just days away

<p>The federal government has announced big changes to government allowance, with nearly 5 million Aussies set to benefit from an increase to their pension payments. Read more:</p> <p>Almost 5 million Aussies will receive a major increase to their pension payments as they are indexed to inflation.</p> <p>Recipients of the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment can expect an increase of $37.50 a fortnight for singles and $56.40 a fortnight for couples combined.</p> <p>The maximum fortnightly rate of the pension is set to increase to $1,064 for singles and $1,604 for couples,  including the pension and energy supplements.</p> <p>Single, childless JobSeeker and ABSTUDY recipients over 22 will receive an extra $24.70 per fortnight.</p> <p>Each half of a couple receiving payments will receive a $22.50 increase per fortnight.</p> <p>Single parents receiving the parenting payment will benefit from an extra $33.90 a fortnight.</p> <p>Single parents on the parenting payment will also receive an additional $33.90 per fortnight, with the rate increasing to $967.90, including the Pension Supplement, Energy Supplement, and Pharmaceutical Allowance.</p> <p>Single, childless recipients of the maximum rate Common Rent Assistance will see an increase of $5.60, receiving $157.20 per fortnight.</p> <p>People who receive the maximum rate and have one or two children will see an increase of $6.58 to $184.94 per fortnight, while those with three or more children will receive an increase of $7.42 to $208.74 per fortnight.</p> <p>According to the federal government, the indexation of social security payments will bring cost-of-living relief for 4.7 million people.</p> <p>Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government was supporting Australians most in need.</p> <p>"Australia's social security system exists to support our most vulnerable citizens, and we know they are feeling the pinch," she said.</p> <p>"Indexation is a pillar of our social security system and we want more money in the pockets of everyday Australians so they can better afford essentials.</p> <p>"The increase is an important part of the system and helps those doing it toughest.”</p> <p>The indexation of payments begins on March 20.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

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"Sheer terror": Pensioner slapped with five-figure government fine

<p>Pensioner Rosemary Gay opened up about the “sheer terror” she faced upon receiving a letter from the government demanding she pay back the $65,000 Robodebt bill they claimed she had been overpaid. </p> <p>Rosemary’s nightmare began on September 19, 2016, when the letter arrived, an event that Rosemary confesses “turned my life upside down and created an enormous emotional and mental strain on me."</p> <p>The letter detailed that she was required to pay the total of $64,999.17 in overpaid welfare benefits. Centrelink claimed this was because her declared amounts did not reflect what she actually earned during the period of July 9, 2010, to 6 October, 2016.</p> <p>“It turned my life upside down,” Rosemary told the Robodebt Royal Commission on Monday, “I’ve never earned that much money, how could I owe that much money? And the fact I was to come up with it within a matter of three or four weeks, it was sheer terror.”</p> <p>The emotional 76-year-old admitted that she feared she would have to sell her home to cover the debt, and detailed the bleak path she saw before her, “all I could see was that I may be faced with selling my home and losing everything that I had worked for in my 70 years, and I just saw it all going away instantly.”</p> <p>After contacting Centrelink, Rosemary confirmed that what she had reported was the same as what was on the paperwork. She admitted to assuming that would “be the end of it.”</p> <p>Officials at Centrelink eventually told Rosemary that it came down to a “glitch”, and after a review, the total of her debt was reduced to $6,600. </p> <p>Of her Robodebt experience, Rosemary said, “it was a very dark period of time for me and one that is very difficult to re-live. My mental health and physical health, at that stage, were at a very low ebb.”</p> <p>A second review brought a new letter to Rosemary in December 2016, this time stating that her debt had been reduced to $120. </p> <p>Finally in 2020, Rosemary was informed by Centrelink that she would be refunded the $120, with the Coalition government winding up the unlawful scheme - ruled as such by the Federal Court in 2019. It is suspected that more than 381,000 people were affected, and that over $750m was wrongfully recovered from the victims. </p> <p>“I was shocked and angry by this time to think they could initially cause such a traumatic experience to anybody accessing support from a pension,” Rosemary told the Royal Commission, “it will continue to remain with me forever. It’s just something I will never get over and it has had a huge impact on my physical and mental wellbeing … </p> <p>“That they could turn someone’s life upside down and still get it so wrong over and over again.”</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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"You have to beg for help": how our welfare system pressures people to perform vulnerability

<p>People who rely on welfare payments to survive are often required to repeatedly tell stories of their personal hardships.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/07/job-seekers-could-have-welfare-stopped-under-onerous-new-points-based-system-advocates-warn">conditional welfare system</a>, many must regularly attend compulsory appointments, job search training courses, and self-development and treatment programs simply to receive their payments.</p> <p>People in extreme hardship often tell their stories even more frequently as they seek extra relief from non-government charities and community providers.</p> <p>Those on income support payments below the relative poverty line feel the crunch of <a href="https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NCOSS_CostOfLiving22_FINAL_DESIGNED.pdf">inflation and rising living costs</a> most severely. This means many will require extra support from welfare services to meet their basic needs.</p> <p>Integral to this system is the idea of “performing vulnerability”.</p> <p>“Performing vulnerability” – a term I borrow from UK-based researcher <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/vulnerability-and-young-people">Kate Brown</a> to update Australian academic <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/lowest-rung/FA159318C2D046EDD3C9347C8B8E4F2E">Mark Peel’s</a> idea of “performing poverty” – is not just about repeatedly describing personal hardship. </p> <p>It points to the expectation to describe hardship in particular ways that are recognisable – and hence believable – to support providers.</p> <p>My book, <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/making-a-life-on-mean-welfare">Making a Life on Mean Welfare: Voices from Multicultural Sydney </a>shows how the expectation to perform vulnerability to access support shapes experiences on both sides of the welfare frontline. </p> <p>It can compound the cycle of disadvantage associated with receiving welfare in the long term. It does so by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038026119876775">fostering mistrust</a> between welfare users and providers, as well as tainting how people in need of support see themselves and their situation.</p> <h2>‘Tell me your story’</h2> <p>For my doctoral research, I spent 18 months speaking to welfare users and workers in culturally and linguistically diverse southwest Sydney. I also observed different aspects of service delivery while volunteering at a community welfare organisation. I interviewed 25 welfare users and 11 community welfare practitioners.</p> <p>As a researcher of everyday experiences of welfare and poverty, I know all too well what it is like to ask people to tell their stories of hardship yet again.</p> <p>I also grew up in an impoverished family reliant on welfare to get by. I know firsthand what the impact of retelling stories of hardship can be, particularly when the audience is, as Peel <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/lowest-rung/FA159318C2D046EDD3C9347C8B8E4F2E">puts</a> it, “someone who has the power to give or deny them something they need”.</p> <p>One of the community welfare practitioners I interviewed summed it up by saying: "They’re coming again feeling ashamed. They’ve knocked on someone’s door, to tell yet again how shitty their situation is."</p> <p>Her response was to chat and put them at ease before saying, “Can you tell me your story?” She would follow up by saying, “You’ve given me some insight, let’s formalise your story a little bit.”</p> <p>Some welfare workers showed more scepticism, particularly when it came to giving out emergency relief. </p> <p>When someone refused to share more than the minimum information required to be eligible for extra assistance, one welfare worker commented: "That person doesn’t want to take responsibility."</p> <p>Another practitioner told me, “That woman dramatised her situation,” but quickly added, “That doesn’t mean she wasn’t genuine.”</p> <p>The willingness of people seeking assistance to disclose personal hardships and do so convincingly impacts on how deserving they may come across to those delivering support. The pressure to perform can overshadow encounters between welfare users and workers even when it doesn’t determine the outcome.</p> <h2>‘It’s your dignity’</h2> <p>Among the most marginal welfare recipients I spoke to, “performing vulnerability” was another toll of poverty.</p> <p>Those experiencing the worst hardship frequently told me about having to explain “the ins and outs” and feeling “embarrassed”, “intimidated” or “uncomfortable” when they had to present to welfare agencies.</p> <p>Two young people (whom I have given fictional names) powerfully conveyed the cost of telling all about their struggles:</p> <blockquote> <p>Kane: Often if you go to them sorts of people (welfare agencies) you’ve gotta put it all out there, that you’re homeless, that you got nothing, you got no friends, no family – and then they’re gonna go boom “alright” (you get the help you came for)…</p> <p>Nessa: Yeah, that’s what I had to do to get a house and it’s embarrassing (talking over each other) I think it’s embarrassing.</p> <p>Kane: You gotta go down to those levels you know – it’s wrong.</p> <p>Nessa: When you gotta expose everything and don’t want to, it’s, like, your dignity.</p> <p>Kane: Yeah, it’s everything.</p> </blockquote> <h2>Performing is not pretending</h2> <p>The most marginal welfare users get a great deal of practice performing their hardship. But knowing how to tell their story a certain way is not the same as pretending.</p> <p>Not only do people at the sharp end of the welfare system have to endure the hardships of poverty, but they must then recite it in a way that registers as genuine, pressing and beyond reprieve.</p> <p>As a woman living on the disability support pension put it:"You don’t have the flexibility that a rich person has to respond to crisis, so you have to beg for help. That takes time! And you know you’ll be judged like it’s your fault."</p> <p>A welfare system that demands disclosure of personal hardships – even when geared towards being <a href="https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/doi/full/10.1111/1468-4446.12740">supportive</a> rather than suspicious – can undermine dignity and hold back those unwilling or unable to tell their story convincingly or in enough detail.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-have-to-beg-for-help-how-our-welfare-system-pressures-people-to-perform-vulnerability-180975" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Retirement Income

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Record boost to Centrelink payments coming for nearly one million Aussies

<p dir="ltr">Hundreds of thousands of Australians receiving welfare are due to receive the biggest increase to their payments in two decades.</p> <p dir="ltr">The increase will see payments for young people, including parents, students and those on disability, increase from January 1, 2023.</p> <p dir="ltr">From next year, the base rate for singles on Youth Allowance will increase by at least $19.10 - with a maximum $32.40 extra a fortnight - taking the maximum rate up to $569.80.</p> <p dir="ltr">Single Australians with dependents can expect a boost of $41.40, bringing payments up to $729.60, while couples will receive an additional $35.20 a fortnight.</p> <p dir="ltr">For those under 21 without kids who receive Disability Support Pension, including Youth Disability Supplement, the payment increase is expected to range between $27.40 and $40.70 a fortnight.</p> <p dir="ltr">Recipients of Austudy, ABSTUDY, Mobility Allowance, Double Orphan Pension, Carer Allowance and Pharmaceutical Allowance will also be included in the increases, which are part of a routine indexation that happens every January to keep up with inflation.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes after the Reserve Bank of Australia forecasted that inflation would peak at eight percent by the end of 2022.</p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison, payments for young people and students have been indexed at 6.1 percent. </p> <p dir="ltr">Social services minister Amanda Rishworth said the increase would help ease the pressure coming from the current cost-of-living crisis.</p> <p dir="ltr">“With the cost of living increasing, we need to ensure students and young people can cover basic costs while focusing on their studies and career aspirations,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While young people are the subject of these payment increases, those who receive Jobseeker or the Aged Pension won’t be left out, with indexation increases announced for all welfare payments were announced by the federal government in September.</p> <p dir="ltr">These payments are also indexed at other times of the year, with the Aged Pension increasing in March and September.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4ef18bd0-7fff-9f99-b17c-fdf2ca04bab3"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Disability pensioner calls himself the "unluckiest" lotto winner

<p>When a disability pensioner struck gold playing the lotto, he thought his luck was starting to turn, until a harsh ruling from Centrelink put a swift end to his celebrations. </p> <p>Craig Hill had never won anything playing the lotto, until his numbers finally came up last month. </p> <p>While it wasn't "the big prize", Hill claimed the second division win in The Lott's "Set for Life" draw.</p> <p>"The main prize is $20,000 a month for 20 years. But this was second division, which is $5000 a month, for 12 months," Hill said.</p> <p>It was a tidy sum of $60,000 to help pay off the mortgage.</p> <p>"It's probably the dream of every Australian to win," Hill told <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p> <p>"I'm very disappointed. I mean, you only ever win the lottery once. It's not a big prize."</p> <p>After he was notified of his winnings, he thought he would do the right thing and tell Centrelink of the money he was soon coming in to. </p> <p>"Initially, they said 'it's a lottery win, so therefore it doesn't affect your pension'," he recalled.</p> <p>"I rang back later and (they) said, 'because you're a professional gambler now, you're getting paid monthly, it does affect your pension'."</p> <p>If The Lott had paid Hill his winnings as one lump sum, it wouldn't have affected his fortnightly pension payments.</p> <p> </p> <p>But because his winnings are being paid over 12 months, Centrelink considers it an income from professional gambling.</p> <p>As a result, his pension has now been slashed from around $820 a fortnight to just $328, with his wife's carer's payment has been affected too.</p> <p>"When I said I wanted it reviewed, they said are 'we going to apply the $5000 to your wife's carers allowance … because that's welfare as well'," Hill said.</p> <p>Because of the lotto win, the couple is losing around $2000 a month.</p> <p>The pensioner tried to ask The Lott to pay the money as a lump sum, but was told it didn't meet its criteria for an exceptional circumstance.</p> <p>Now he's hoping for changes to be made to the rules.</p> <p>"It has taken me 40 years to win a prize of the lottery … apart from $8 last week," Hill said.</p> <p>"At 61 I really haven't got another 40 years to wait to win another one."</p> <p>Craig's message to Centrelink is, "I'm not your enemy."</p> <p>"I'm just a bloke that's struggling to make a living," he said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair</em></p>

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"The time for lip service is over": Dylan Alcott serves it up to Centrelink

<p>During his appearance at the Jobs and Skills summit in Canberra, Aussie tennis legend Dylan Alcott delivered an impassioned speech on behalf of all people with disabilities, demanding they be allowed to work more hours without losing their Centrelink benefits.</p> <p>His plea comes as the nation suffers through what's been widely characterised as an extreme labour shortage – with Alcott's rallying cry to change the current rules surrounding employment and the disability pension powerfully underlined by his parting shot that "the time for lip service is over".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">"My whole life it hasn't changed": Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott has called for an increase in workplace participation for Australians living with a disability during the government's jobs and skills summit in Canberra.<br />Read more on the jobs summit: <a href="https://t.co/iyFrzKUT9l">https://t.co/iyFrzKUT9l</a> <a href="https://t.co/MFdrsEoADy">pic.twitter.com/MFdrsEoADy</a></p> <p>— SBS News (@SBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBSNews/status/1565218388716261377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>The Australian of the Year suggested that people with disabilities should have the advantage of picking up more work without losing Centrelink payments. Presenting the moving speech to 140 attendees, he spoke passionately about the current state of affairs for people with disabilities in the workforce.</p> <p>“Nearly 4.5 million people in this country have some form of physical or non-physical disability, visible or invisible, and only 54% of them are enrolled in the workforce,” he said</p> <p>“I'm 31 years old, that participation rate hasn't changed in 28 years. My whole life. It hasn't changed.</p> <p>“And to be honest, that's not fair. That really isn't fair. Because people with a disability are ready to have the choice if they want to work, just like anybody else.”</p> <p>“The time for lip service is over to be honest, because we've been getting that for a long time.”</p> <p>Australia's unemployment rate currently sits at 3.4% – however, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is almost triple that.</p> <p>Alcott suggests the best solution to combat the problem is to allow those on disability support payments to work more hours without losing their benefits. Currently someone on that payment loses 50c in every dollar they earn over $190 a fortnight, putting them off working extra hours.</p> <p>“There are so many opportunities to get out there and work at the moment, yet it's not really translating into people with disabilities getting that chance,” Alcott said.</p> <p>“We need to have the opportunity to get out there and have a crack.”</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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"He was harassed": Woman tells how son took his life over incorrect Robodebt bill

<p>Jenny Miller has shared the heart-breaking story of how her son Rhys was driven to suicide after relentless "harassment" to pay back a $28,000 Centrelink bill that was dished out under the Robodebt scheme.</p> <p>Rhys Cauzzo, a florist from Melbourne, was just 27-years-old when he took his life on Australia Day in 2017 after he was wrongly billed for the debts he didn't owe. </p> <p>Rhys was just one of over 2,000 Australians who died after received a hefty debt notice under the controversial scheme, which raised over $1billion in debts against 443,000 Australians. </p> <p>Speaking with Nat Barr on <em>Sunrise</em>, Jenny shared the devastating moment she was informed of her son's death. </p> <p>"The police came to our place on the Sunshine Coast early in the morning to tell us that he had passed," she said on Friday.</p> <p>"I arranged to fly down immediately and I found obvious signs of him being under the stress financially."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The families of Robodebt victims are hopeful a royal commission will deliver justice after the scheme unlawfully claimed almost $2 billion in payments from Aussies. Jenny Miller's son Rhys took his own life after he was incorrectly told he owed Centrelink $28,000. <a href="https://t.co/eQ9bkj8RAm">pic.twitter.com/eQ9bkj8RAm</a></p> <p>— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1562921013217996801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>"There were pictures of him holding a gun to his head and dollar signs coming out of his brain."</p> <p>Ms Miller said before her son took his own life he "got virtually daily" letters and phone calls from debt collectors Dun &amp; Bradstreet.</p> <p>"He was harassed, he was not given the opportunity to speak to anyone at Centrelink," she said. </p> <p>"They just said ''no, you have to sort out.'"</p> <p>"It was the icing on the cake for him."</p> <p>Jenny went on to thank both Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese for sticking to Labor's election promise to <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/pm-launches-probe-into-unlawful-robodebt-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launch a royal commission</a> into the "unlawful" scheme, which was announced earlier this week. </p> <p>"Obviously, we are still hoping to get some accountability. I have been fighting this for nearly six years and it is time that there was some answers," she said.</p> <p>During the election campaign, the Prime Minister described the Robodebt scheme as a “human tragedy, wrought by (the Coalition) government."</p> <p>“Against all evidence, and all the outcry, the government insisted on using algorithms instead of people to pursue debt recovery against Australians who in many cases had no debt to pay,” Albanese said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise </em></p>

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PM launches probe into "unlawful" robodebt scheme

<p>Anthony Albanese has shared the details of a royal commission into the Centrelink robodebt scheme, which he committed to during the election. </p> <p>Robodebt was rolled out by the Coalition government between 2015 and 2019, which was an automated debt recovery program that was fraught with errors. </p> <p>The scheme used an automated system to match data from Centrelink and the ATO to raise debts against welfare recipients for money the then-government claimed was overpaid. </p> <p>During the election campaign, the Prime Minister described the ordeal as a “human tragedy, wrought by (the Coalition) government."</p> <p>“Against all evidence, and all the outcry, the government insisted on using algorithms instead of people to pursue debt recovery against Australians who in many cases had no debt to pay,” Albanese said.</p> <p>The program, which was found to be unlawful in 2019, raised over $1billion in debts against 443,000 Australians. </p> <p>In total, $751million was wrongly collected from 381,000 people.</p> <p>A $1.8billion settlement between victims and the federal government was reached in 2020 after a class-action lawsuit.</p> <p>Despite Albanese's determination to dive into what went wrong during the scheme, the Coalition had argued there was no need for an inquiry given the settlement.</p> <p>Scott Morrison, who was social services minister when the unlawful scheme was conceived, has repeatedly denied he was personally responsible for the program.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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How we invented ‘unemployment’ and why we’re outgrowing it

<p>When Labor leader Anthony Albanese couldn’t quote Australia’s unemployment rate in the first week of the election campaign, many said it didn’t matter: the Australian Bureau of Statistics figure was “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/employing-the-numbers-when-the-official-rate-is-rendered-meaningless-20220412-p5acyv.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meaningless</a>”; “<a href="https://nitter.net/headshaker2/status/1513344714640003073#m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fudged</a>”; “<a href="https://headtopics.com/au/i-m-not-sure-what-it-is-albanese-stumbles-on-unemployment-rate-and-cash-rate-25505788" target="_blank" rel="noopener">manipulated</a>”; and didn’t count <a href="https://twitter.com/antipovertycent/status/1483973901252456454" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all those who had registered for JobSeeker</a>.</p> <p>The truth is the official measure of unemployment does what it says on the box. It counts those without any work who are available to work and looking for work.</p> <p>The result of an astonishingly large survey of <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-the-election-gaffes-australias-unemployment-rate-is-good-news-and-set-to-get-even-better-by-polling-day-181141" target="_blank" rel="noopener">26,000 households</a> covering 50,000 people each month, there’s little reason to question its accuracy.</p> <p>But there are good reasons to question why the bureau does it in the way it does.</p> <div data-id="17"> </div> <p>“Unemployment” as we have come to understand it is a fairly new concept.</p> <p>As I outline in my book, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/inventing-unemployment-9781509952717/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inventing Unemployment</a>, before the second world war censuses tended to divide the population differently – into breadwinners and dependants.</p> <p>A breadwinner who wasn’t employed would be recorded as a breadwinner rather than unemployed (with their usual occupation noted).</p> <p>That’s probably because until the 20th century, irregular work was the norm.</p> <p>Late-19th-century Sydney had no extensive manufacturing. Work such as wool washing, tanning, meat preserving and loading sea cargo was seasonal and tied to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5263/labourhistory.108.0071" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rural rhythms</a>.</p> <p>Even in more stable occupations, many workers were little more than or sub-contractors or day labourers, their work intermittent.</p> <h2>Unemployment as we know it</h2> <p>The 1947 census introduced three distinct categories: employed, “unemployed” and “not in the labour force”. To be “unemployed” you had to describe yourself as willing and able to work, but without work.</p> <p>Carried into the quarterly labour force surveys which started in the 1960s and continue monthly to this day, the change enabled the creation of an <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/education/resources/explainers/unemployment-its-measurement-and-types.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unemployment rate</a>, which is the number of unemployed divided by the total of the number of employed and unemployed, which is called the “labour force”.</p> <p>The categorisation made more sense by then as work was becoming full-time and ongoing. Being “unemployed” (workless but in the workforce) had come to be seen as unusual and worthy of government support. The Curtin Labor government introduced <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2019/August/Creating-unemployment-benefits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unemployment benefits</a> in 1945.</p> <p>The changes were in line with International Labour Organisation recommendations which themselves followed changes in the United States which in 1937 had asked all non-workers who’d expressed a desire to work whether they were able to work and were actively seeking work.</p> <p>The context was United States President Franklin D Roosevelt’s determination to fight unemployment through job creation schemes. The advantage of the new measures was that they gave a measure of immediate unmet demand for work.</p> <p>Excluding both those who were unwilling to work at present and those who had any work at all yielded a measure of the minimum number of jobs needed. Policy drove the definition rather than the other way around.</p> <h2>Messy by design</h2> <p>But the definitions were messy. Labour markets confound easy distinctions between working and not working, and there’s no particular degree of desire for work that clearly distinguishes the “unemployed” from “not in the labour force”.</p> <p>Looking back, what was exceptional about the post-war decades is that most of the time the new definitions were easy to apply. If you were in work, the chances were you were in full-time work; if you weren’t in full-time work the chances were you weren’t working at all, and that you were either wanting work or none.</p> <p>And the idea of the “labour force” summed up fairly stable social categories: men who entered at 15 years and were expected to work or look for work for 50 years, and women who also entered in their mid-teens only to permanently withdraw upon marriage or childbirth.</p> <p>Not now. As social researcher <a href="https://www.radstats.org.uk/no088/Threlfall88.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monica Threlfall</a> points out, whereas once the labour force was an identifiable category,</p> <blockquote> <p>today it is more like an unbounded space that a variety of people of different ages enter, leave and re-enter at a variety of rates.</p> </blockquote> <p>When the headline monthly unemployment rate changes, what has moved is often not the numerator – the number of unemployed – but the shape-shifting denominator, which depends on whether people define themselves as looking and available for paid work at the particular time they are asked.</p> <p>And the main questions don’t pick up underemployment. Australia has one of the largest part-time work forces in the OECD, which is why the Bureau of Statistics also asks workers whether they would like more hours, and reports the answers alongside the unemployment rate.</p> <p>It also measures “discouraged workers”, people who are available for and wanting work but have given up the search and so aren’t counted as “unemployed”.</p> <p>The only way to really understand whether we are succeeding or failing in providing paid work is to take all three measures together – unemployment, underemployment and the count of discouraged workers.</p> <h2>Messier by the month</h2> <p>What this total tells us will be quite different to the count of the number of Australians on unemployment benefits.</p> <p>After tracking each other closely, the number of “unemployed” and the number on unemployment benefits has diverged over the past 25 years and that divergence became even more pronounced during COVID.</p> <p>Australian experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-more-people-be-on-unemployment-benefits-than-before-covid-with-fewer-unemployed-australians-heres-how-181733" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter Whiteford and Bruce Bradbury</a> point out most unemployed people aren’t on benefits, and increasingly unemployment benefits are available to people who are not unemployed.</p> <p>These days unemployment benefits are available to people not seeking paid work but engaged in voluntary work, study, or providing home schooling.</p> <p>And people who once would not have been considered unemployed – such as single parents and people with disabilities – are now put on unemployment benefits and required to search for work in order to get them.</p> <p>After holding together for decades, the post-war administrative and legal construction of unemployment is failing us. We’re outgrowing it.</p> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-invented-unemployment-and-why-were-outgrowing-it-183545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Which Centrelink payments are going up from July 1

<p>From July the 1st, over 1.4 million Australian families will benefit from an increase to their Centrelink payments.</p> <p>The federal government has announced increases to the Family Tax Benefit (Part A and B) to keep up with the rising cost of living.</p> <p>Under the Family Tax Benefit Part A, payments for families with a child aged under 13 will increase up to $204.40 over 2022-2023.</p> <p>The payments will also increase by a maximum of $255.50 for families with a child 13 years and older.</p> <p>For those receiving Family Tax Benefit Part B, there will be an increase of as much as $164.25 per year where a family has their youngest child under 5.</p> <p>For those families on Family Tax Benefit Part B with a youngest child aged between five to eighteen will receive up to $116.80 more per year.</p> <p>The changes are expected to impact more than 1.4 million families, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said.</p> <p>It was also announced that the amount of income or assets an Age Pension, Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment recipient can have before their payment is affected will increase.</p> <p>“Social security and family payments have a built-in safeguard where they are automatically indexed at regular intervals to help them maintain purchasing power,” Rishworth said.</p> <p>Those who receive other family payments, such as Multiple Birth Allowance and Newborn Supplement are also set to receive an increase.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Centrelink changes spark uproar

<p dir="ltr">A change to Centrelink that’s due to start next month has been described as “the Hunger Games crossed with Black Mirror” and has prompted concerns for what could happen for those not capable of meeting the new requirements for welfare payments.</p> <p dir="ltr">From July 1, the current system of mutual obligations, tasks, activities, job searches and interviews a person has to complete to receive their payments will be removed, with the points-based activation system (PBAS) taking its place, per <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/uproar-over-new-pointsbased-system-for-welfare-recipients/news-story/150a60503a14f7a8559c249b5f60d242" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though some are happy to see the mutual obligations system come to an end, there are concerns about the problems the new PBAS - which requires recipients to earn 100 points and do at least five job searches a month - could bring.</p> <p dir="ltr">Welfare recipients can complete any of more than 30 tasks and activities from the system’s list, with each task carrying their own points value.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though programs like PaTH Internship, the National Work Experience Program, and Launch Into Work are worth 25 points - enough to reach 100 points in total - others like full-time Work for the Dole, the Adult Migrant English Program and Skills for Education and Employment are worth just 20 - requiring recipients to take on extra tasks to make up the remaining 20 points.</p> <p dir="ltr">Five points are also earned for every five hours of paid work, 20 are received for attending a job interview, and being part of the Defence Force Reserves can earn recipients 10 points, with relocating for a job being the only task worth the full 100 points.</p> <p dir="ltr">If individuals earn more than their monthly 100 points, up to 50 can be banked for the following month.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, welfare recipients have been warned their payments could be suspended and they could receive a demerit if their points target or job search minimum aren’t met.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU) said the new system dialled mutual obligations “up to 11” and that it was “the Hunger Games crossed with Black Mirror”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Using technology to ‘gamify’ starvation points (score them or lose your payment) is morally offensive to basic human decency,” the organisation said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is not the design of a human welfare system - this is the design of a digital workhouse set up to brutalise people in desperate economic need and push them out of the system and onto the street.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With concerns raised about some people’s ability and capacity to meet these requirements, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) has advised that these requirements could be reduced, the value of some tasks could increase, or additional activities could be created as an “activity bonus” based on personal circumstances.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, there is also confusion about how these changes - and which provider welfare recipients will be reporting to - will play out when it is introduced in less than a month, with the AUWU fearing another “robodebt-style disaster”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The AUWU advocacy team is receiving a large number of reports from members telling su the system has not been properly explained to them,” advocacy coordinator Racquel Araya said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are trying to get a handle on this system so that we can advise those reaching out, and we still do not have clarity from the department on how exactly the reporting will work, how problems will be handled or resolved and whether Centrelink has the appropriate capacity to deal with the increased call centre inquiry volume.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-167c7d7d-7fff-bb3f-73f5-bb3ceae7f2c2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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