Older Australians are particular beneficiaries of a welfare boost that will see JobSeeker payments increase from the second half of this year.
Despite warning in the lead-up to the budget release that the government could not afford to back “every good idea”, Treasurer Jim Chalmers tonight said the government would offer extra support to support people looking for work.
If you’re one of them, here’s what will change.
Will JobSeeker payments increase?
They will, by $40 a fortnight from September, assuming a successful passage of the required legislation through parliament.
Along with JobSeeker, equivalent payments such as Youth Allowance and Austudy would increase by the same amount.
This means a single person with no dependents will get a $40 increase to their current rate of $693.10 a fortnight, while a single person will dependent children will get $785.20 a fortnight (up from $745.20).
Payments will continue to be indexed to keep pace with cost-of-living increases.
What’s this about older recipients benefiting?
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Until now, a larger JobSeeker payment has been available to recipients aged over 60, who have been on the program for at least nine continuous months.
The increased payment recognises the difficulties older people face in finding work, such as age discrimination.
But from September, the government will expand this higher payment to single people aged 55 to 59 as well.
“The majority of people aged 55 and over on JobSeeker are women, many with little to no savings or superannuation, and who are at risk of homelessness,” Chalmers said.
This means about 52,000 single Australians will get a $92.10 fortnightly boost to their payments, lifting to $745.20.
The total package will amount to $4.9 billion across five years from 2022-23.
The government says it will support 1.1 million Australians.
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