Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Davey for her question. This government is absolutely committed to continuing to provide unprecedented levels of economic support to Australians who are finding it tough, as we work our way through this coronavirus pandemic. As part of the government's response, in the budget a couple of weeks ago we made an announcement around the provision of two additional payments of $250 as economic support payments to eligible Australians. That will mean 5.1 million Australians will receive these two payments—that's people on the age pension and the disability pension, carers, people in veterans' affairs and some concession card holders. The payments will be made starting on 30 November for the first payment and 1 March 2021 for the second payment. When you combine this with the two $750 payments that have already been made to this group of people, you will see that, by 1 October, more than $12 billion has been paid out to Australians to assist them through this pandemic. That's $2,000 per recipient.

We have extended the coronavirus supplement at enhanced support levels through to 31 December, as Australians' confidence and economic confidence continue to build momentum. From the start of the pandemic to 1 October the government spent approximately $14 billion on the coronavirus supplement. But we also want to make sure we help Australians gain meaningful employment; that remains an absolute priority of this government. To do so we have introduced a $300 income-free area, which means if a person earns up to $300 they will continue to receive the maximum amount of their payment. We want to give people the confidence to get back into the workforce, even if it is only for a day or so a week, without affecting their payment. Early data so far has shown that the changes made in September are already starting to work, with almost one in five jobseekers reporting earning income.