Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, on 31 December unemployment benefits are scheduled to return to $40 a day. To many people this will be a devastating start for the new year, impacting their ability to pay for rent, food and clothing. No wonder they're sick with worry. That $40 a day is unacceptable is not in dispute; for instance, the BCA, ACOSS, the RBA governor and even former PM John Howard have all argued against the old Newstart rate. Please, Prime Minister, will you today commit to the principle of unemployment benefits being above the poverty line or, at the very least, no less than the current JobSeeker rate?

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