7 Anti-Poverty Network SA members, all of them on JobSeeker, respond to Labor’s announced $2.86 a day ($20 a week) raise to JobSeeker Payment.
Fi: “The raise is pitiful. It will barely make a dent in my living & health expenses. Nothing will realistically change for me. The cost of living continues to grow, while I will stagnate. It’s disappointing and disheartening. So much for the Prime Minister from poverty.”
Joshua: “An extra $40 a fortnight does nothing for me. It might mean occasionally I eat twice a day, instead of once a day, or be able to get 3 or 4 extra items at the checkout, on the one day that I shop. It will not help me in getting to doctor’s appointments from a rural area, to the city, the money would be gone in one trip. I am disappointed, but mostly angry.”
Rita: “Albo said, “no one left behind”, but we are left behind. Every single time. Some people will say, “better than nothing”. But “better than nothing” doesn’t pay the rent. “Better than nothing” doesn’t put food on the table.”
Andrew: “This is a disgrace. I feel ignored, again. I worked for 15 years, paid taxes, before health issues intervened. Is it not reasonable to expect that the government will assist me to survive, when I need it?”
Anthea: “I’m actually so angry, I’m struggling with my health, trying to buy food, and the government thinks that it is enough just to survive. Shame on them!!”
Kelly: “It’s not enough. It won’t help me secure or pay for a rental property, especially being single. And it won’t cover my next rental increase.”
Karly: “I feel cheated and saddened for the whole of Australia who rely on these payments every fortnight. This raise won’t have much of an impact as everything is still on the rise. I feel angry and very let down by the government once again. A JobSeeker raise that lifted people out of poverty would have made the biggest difference. I would afford to go out and be social, and not have to ask people if they could pay for me and then feel bad for doing so.”
Anti-Poverty Network SA 