2020-05-04
At long last, a rise in Newstart (as Jobkeeper), but fighting to keep it and advocating for those who have fallen through the cracks of the pandemic stimulus packages
By Senator Rachel Siewert
I’m sure many of you are feeling uncertain and worried for what the future holds for yourself, your loved ones and our community. The lock down had meant great hardship for many as their jobs evaporated overnight and economies came to a near standstill. It is a time of great change and we have been working hard to try and ensure that change helps make our community and that all people are supported and look after.
We are working harder than ever and I think have had some success in getting improvements.
Since social distancing measures began, I have been over to Parliament twice for the special sittings to pass the two stimulus packages.
While many people will benefit from the Government’s stimulus packages, the Government’s response to COVID-19 continues to see members of our community left behind, people who are disproportionately affected by this health and economic crisis.
The Greens moved amendments to both stimulus packages to try to ensure that everyone is supported to get through this crisis as the Government has overlooked many people.
We were successful in getting students included in the six months supplement payment. Now, more than 250,000 Australians will receive the extra $550 a fortnight to get through the Coronavirus crisis, after the Greens pushed the Government to extend a crucial supplementary payment that had omitted students.
The campaign of which we were a part has also been successful in ensuring that NGO’s and charities are better supported to do their critical work. Firstly, to access the stimulus measures that were initially just targeted at business and, secondly, that they can better access the Jobkeeper program to enable them to keep staff and continue their services. The Government saw sense and fixed the turnover test for charities so more can access Jobkeeper.
Jordon and I have been working to ensure that disabled people and carers are supported through this crisis as they were not included in the stimulus supplement, which means that already vulnerable members of our community are struggling to make ends meet. Disabled people’s costs and barriers have increased, not decreased, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this is on top of disabled people already having higher costs for essentials, estimated by NATSEM last year at an average $107 per week.
Jordon and I co-hosted an online forum with over 500 people participating live. We heard from community members who are struggling with the additional costs of the pandemic. I don't know how anyone could hear these experiences and not be moved.
The Minister holds the power to extend extra support to people on DSP and Carers Payment and we will continue to lobby to get this increase.
I was pleased to be nominated as the Greens representative to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19. It is essential that in our robust democracy the activities of Government are scrutinised during this pandemic. It is also important to capture what lessons we can – what worked, what didn’t and how we can do better in any future crisis.
Having campaigned for so long for an increase in Newstart (now Jobseeker) I had a moment of disbelief and then relief that the Government doubled the Jobseeker payment for 6 months. The Government has finally acknowledged after all these years what we all knew for so long that you can’t live on $40 a day.
Unfortunately the Prime Minister is thinking that it is okay to return the Jobseeker payment back to the old rate of $40 a day in September, condemning what is likely to be well over a million of people to live in poverty.
The rate for Jobseeker payment must be raised for good. It is absolutely untenable to drop people back below the poverty line from September 25.
Some of you may have seen that the Community Affairs committee I chair has just released its inquiry report on Newstart.
Unsurprisingly the committee has recommended an increase to the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment rates to ensure people do not live in poverty.
The Committee heard evidence from well respected institutions, think tanks and most importantly, income support recipients themselves.
This inquiry process has been a scathing assessment of our income support system and how we support people in our community.
According to a Parliamentary Budget Office costing a fortnightly income of at least $1012 per fortnight is required to ensure an income support recipient does not live below the OECD relative measure of poverty.
This is more or less the amount that the Jobseeker has been increased to with the six months supplement. This highlights that we need to keep this rate to ensure no one is living in poverty.
The Government needs to listen to the people who bravely gave evidence of their lived experience at this inquiry. It is their voices that need to be heard.
You can email your local MP here to share why you think the raise in Jobseeker payment needs to for kept for good https://thegreens.good.do/raisetherateforgood/Email-MP/
Much of the work of my office for the past couple of weeks has been helping people with Centrelink on a variety of problems accessing support.
I am pleased that the Government has listened to our pleas to suspended mutual obligations (this needs to continue beyond the current date of 22 May) and is finally implementing a pause on debt raising and recovery activity.
During this crisis, we will keep demanding that everyone has access to the care, financial and wellbeing support they need to get through this crisis.
The choices our government makes now to help us get through this crisis could set a better course for the future of our communities.
We return to Parliament the week of May 11 for the next sitting and I’ll will keep you informed of what goes on.
Take care and save up your hugs!