Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Pocock. Of course, $40 a week, taken together with the range of other measures that sit within this bill and the range of other measures that the government has undertaken, will make a substantial difference. In terms of JobSeeker recipients, it will make a substantial difference to a million people who will be the recipients of that additional amount. Some of the other measures in this bill affect a substantial cohort of people. I do not stand here to pretend that this will resolve all of the issues for the many thousands of Australians who are doing it tough, particularly in an environment of higher than normal inflation. My answer to your question is very much the same answer that I gave perhaps at more length yesterday in response to questions from Senator Rice. The government has made a carefully calibrated assessment, and this is a substantial increase that will make a substantial difference to a lot of people.