Push to keep higher support payments

MANY people who lost their jobs during COVID-19 are better off financially now than when they were working.

The pandemic payouts from government allowances have lifted the numbers of working poor over the poverty line and allowed many families to eat fruit and vegetables daily, buy medication and have three meals a day for the first time.

The supplements have doubled allowances previously received by students, workers and other people on benefits, including JobSeeker, meaning they are not living from payday to payday.

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) says unless the $550 a fortnight coronavirus Supplement remains, millions of Australians will be catapulted back into the poverty cycle in September.

“We can’t go back to where we were – when people were struggling to survive on $40 per day which is just not enough to live, let alone to cover the basics,” said ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie.

“A permanent increase to JobSeeker and Youth Allowance that allows people to cover the basics of life, including putting food on the table and a roof over a head, is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do.

“Leaving almost two million people on JobSeeker or Youth Allowance without enough to cover the basics would be a disaster for the economy as we try to rebuild out of this crisis.”

As of last month there were 1.64 million people on JobSeeker and economic data from economic advisory firm Alpha Beta’s shows the coronavirus supplement and access to superannuation has boosted spending to a level just 4 per cent below pre-COVID levels.

A landmark report from ACOSS surveyed nearly 1000 people and found 75 per cent can now catch-up on bills, 69 per cent are finding it easier to pay their rent and 59 per cent were able to save up for major items like fridges and freezers.

WE CAN’T GO BACK TO WHERE WE WERE — WHEN PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE ON $40 PER DAY WHICH IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TO LIVE

DR CASSANDRA GOLDIE