Panel Urges JobSeeker Rate Hike for Third Straight Year
The Federal Government’s own independent Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has called for a substantial increase to JobSeeker and related income support payments as its top priority recommendation for the third year running.
The Committee again found lifting JobSeeker to 90% of the pension (from $56 per day to $74 per day) would substantially fix its adequacy. New research by Mandala shows that, for every dollar spent lifting the payment to 90% of the pension, an extra 24 cents would be returned to society by way of improved health and wellbeing outcomes, in addition to the major benefit delivered to people receiving the payment. Lifting JobSeeker would reduce government health expenditure, improve productivity as well as deliver vast benefits to the lives of people receiving the payment.