Media release – TasCOSS, 23 February 2021
Morrison Government chooses to abandon Tasmanians with JobSeeker snub
Today’s announcement that the rate of the JobSeeker Payment will be locked at a meagre $44 per day is yet another example of the Morrison Government’s lack of compassion for Tasmanians doing it tough.
TasCOSS CEO Ms Adrienne Picone said the cruel and short-sighted decision was indicative of a heartless government that is out of touch with the needs of Tasmanians looking for work.
“An increase of $3.57 a day is well below the the meaningful boost to the payment the COSS network, the Tasmanian community services industry, the Reserve Bank of Australia, business groups and leading economists have been calling for,” said Ms Picone.
“Tasmanians living on JobSeeker have told us they have relied on the higher rate of income support to buy fresh food, pay their rent, visit their GP and support them to be job-ready.
“This pittance of an increase will do little to boost their confidence in a Tasmanian jobs market where more than 40,000 Tasmanians are looking for work or more hours and there are 17 job seekers for every advertised job.
Further compounding the ramifications of this decision, Ms Picone said the nation was yet to see the flow on impacts of the withdrawal of JobKeeper and rental eviction moratoriums ending.
“This cut in job seekers’ incomes to well below the poverty line is a further blow that will have welfare groups in Tasmania bracing for a surge in demand for services, such as food relief, emergency accommodation and counselling.
“We know the physical and mental impacts of living in poverty and the toll it takes on lives and livelihoods, on communities, and on families and friends. Between April and September last year, the $550 Coronavirus Supplement ensured Tasmanian job seekers — many for the first time — had the capacity to afford the basics and live with dignity.
“Many Tasmanians told us they used the additional funds to reskill and retrain in order to seek out employment opportunities in the post-COVID-19 economy. Now, these aspirations for a better life will have to be put on hold.”
Ms Picone said the Morrison Government has once again failed to adequately support Tasmanians in need.
“Premier Peter Gutwein has been left to pick up the shortfall as a result of the Prime Minister passing the buck with people’s livelihoods.
“Under the new rate of JobSeeker, a further $3.5 million per fortnight will be stripped out of the Tasmanian economy. This is in addition to the $14 million every fortnight our economy has lost with the reduction in the Coronavirus Supplement.”
Media relase – Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, 23 February 2021
NO REAL RELIEF FOR THOSE LIVING ON STRUGGLE STREET
Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, says the Scrooge-like increase to the JobSeeker payment will do next to nothing to ease the pain for Australians living on struggle street.
“Returning JobSeeker to the pre-pandemic level of $40 a day would have been devastating,” Mr Wilkie said. “But the $50-per-fortnight increase only equates to an extra $3.57 per day – not even the price of a coffee or a salad roll. It’s a Scrooge-like move and simply not enough.
“In the Clark electorate alone, there are about 9,500 people on JobSeeker and the end of the $150 COVID supplement will strip about $1.4m from the local economy each fortnight.
“Just last week I shared the stories of 58 single mothers with Federal Parliament in the hope MPs would learn something from them, change policy and finally end this poverty by design. These women collectively spoke of how the JobSeeker COVID-19 supplement had greatly improved their lives.
“Australia is a rich and fortunate country and there is simply no excuse that people struggling to secure work cannot afford to cover basic needs like rent, running a car and putting enough food on the table.
“We can afford to pay every eligible Australian a base rate to cover their reasonable expenses and allow them a dignified life, not one where people are forced to choose between having enough to eat or paying their rent.”
Sarah Lovell MLC, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations, 23 February 2021
Gutwein’s failure to lobby Canberra for Tasmanians results in woefully inadequate JobSeeker increase
Tasmanians who are depending on JobSeeker payments in the on-going fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic are right to be disappointed with the Federal Government’s refusal to back down on removing payments and instead increasing them by just $3.57 a day.
Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations Sarah Lovell said the increase is astoundingly low.
“An increase of $50 a fortnight as Tasmania continues to struggle back from COVID is woefully inadequate and an insult to those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic,” Ms Lovell said.
“Tasmania will disproportionately feel the impact of this decision and it will rip millions out of our economy – and that’s money that will not be going to small business.
“The payments were far too low before the pandemic and COVID has not gone away, it is now more important than ever for a significant increase.
“The Premier Peter Gutwein’s efforts on JobKeeper have been almost non-existent. He has failed miserably to lobby his Canberra colleagues for a meaningful increase to JobSeeker and now everyday Tasmanians will suffer.
“This is a failure by the Liberal Government which refuses to recognise and acknowledge that it is vital that Tasmanians receive a living wage.
“It is impossible to be able to successfully look for work when you’re living in poverty.
“The Government has failed to provide an adequate increase to JobSeeker payments and ultimately it will be Tasmanians that feel the pinch.”
