Face of Nation : The peak body for social services will intensify calls for a Newstart rise when it fronts a parliamentary inquiry into the unemployment payment. Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie will reiterate the case for a higher dole, with the payment not rising in real terms for 25 years.
“The current rate of $40 per day is too low to give people the support they need to get by,” she said. “Instead of supporting people, the current Newstart rate forces them into a cycle of debt, social isolation and humiliation that undermines their efforts and risks them slipping through the cracks into entrenched poverty.”
Dr Goldie said the government could stimulate the economy while also tackling poverty through a Newstart increase. “With Anti-Poverty Week beginning on Sunday, we again reiterate our call for an urgent increase to Newstart, which is the most effective way to tackle our wealthy country’s persistent rates of poverty.”
Council on the Ageing Australia, Anglicare and Foodbank Australia will also address senators on Friday. Professional services giant KPMG will appear after calling for Newstart to rise from $277.85 per week for a single person to $370 per week, which would move it up to 50 per cent of the national minimum wage.
