Welfare recipients will see a slight increase to their payments, but jobseeker is still “well below the poverty line”, the Australian Council of Social Service says.
The payments are tied to the consumer prices index (CPI) – which is used to measure inflation – so if the CPI goes up, welfare follows suit.
“Recipients of 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,” the minister for families and social services, Amanda Rishworth, announced.
That also amounts to $1.77 extra a day for those on jobseeker payments, lifting the daily rate for a single person from $48 to $50, which, Acoss points out, is still 57% below the minimum wage.
“People on jobseeker and related payments cannot afford to eat enough, cannot get essential medication or healthcare and often go into debt to pay their energy bills,” the acting CEO of Acoss, Edwina MacDonald, said.
Top news
Malcolm Turnbull at robodebt inquiry | The former prime minister told the royal commission he first raised concerns about the scheme with minister Alan Tudge in early 2017. The decision to implement robodebt was made by Tony Abbott’s cabinet for the May 2015 budget, but the scheme was launched at scale during Turnbull’s prime ministership.
Government funds Indigenous voice campaign | The Albanese government has authorised $9.5m of spending for a voice civics and awareness campaign to include the “facts of the voice” but insists it is not funding a de facto yes campaign.
‘Ending jobs for mates’ bill | Independent MP Sophie Scamps introduced a private member’s bill – drafted in conjunction with the Centre for Public Integrity – seeking to ensure government appointments are done independently and not handed out as little treats to political party favourites. “We now need to take steps to prevent corruption and cronyism from happening in the first place,” she said.
Ladbrokes fined $80,000 | The sports wagering company was fined for serious breaches of its licence and failing to limit damage caused by Gavin Fineff, a financial adviser who stole millions of dollars from his clients to service his gambling addiction.
Koala strolls into Adelaide Hills petrol station | Here’s a cute koala video to brighten the day. This time of one walking into a petrol station in Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, captured on CCTV exploring the aisles before it latched on to unsuspecting Ampol staff. It’s a good time to point out that koalas were listed as endangered about a year ago. The main culprit? Deforestation.
Marianne Williamson launches presidential campaign | The two-time aspirant to the Democratic presidential nomination announced her campaign in Washington DC, vowing an “economic U-turn”. Her qualification for the job, she continued, “is not that I know how to perpetuate that system. My qualification is that I know how to disrupt it.”
Italy’s AOC? | The Italian left has a new leader – Elly Schlein. She is bisexual, a feminist and champions a socialist platform that has drawn comparisons to US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Can she revive the lacklustre centre-left Democratic party?
Pro-Ukraine PM wins in Estonia | The Reform party of Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, secured first place in the country’s parliamentary elections, a result that should ensure Tallinn remains one of Europe’s most staunchly pro-Ukraine governments. Results with 98% ballots counted showed the far-right EKRE party in second place.
Being left in the ocean on a snorkeling trip | … is probably every snorkeler’s worst nightmare. Newlyweds from California filed a lawsuit against a Hawaii snorkeling tour company claiming they did just that in September 2021.
Full Story
What’s in the air in East Palestine, Ohio?
When a train derailed in a small town in Ohio last month, it shed its toxic load, spewed smoke and set off a political firestorm that is still raging. The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani has been reporting from East Palestine – listen to this 34-minute episode.
What they said …
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“We will join Kazakhstan as the only two countries in the world that will allow 100% of emissions to be offset using carbon credits.” – David Pocock
The government needs Pocock’s vote in the Senate to pass its safeguard mechanism legislation. The independent wants to see “some limits” on carbon offsets to ensure the legislation “deliver[s] the reductions we need”.
In numbers
More Australians are working extra jobs to “make ends meet” in these dire inflationary times, according to Labor minister Tony Burke. You can see the latest labour data from the ABS here.
Before bed read
Asexual people say their orientation is still little understood, even, and perhaps especially, during rainbow celebrations.
“If I was gay, people would believe me. There’s not much awareness of our community at all,” said an interviewee in this story.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HELM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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