Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

Since the Albanese government was elected, the base rate of JobSeeker for a single person has increased by $120 per fortnight. This is as a result of the government's real increase to rates in the last budget of $40 per fortnight along with regular indexation. This is an increase of 18.7 per cent in two years. This is the largest ever nominal increase to unemployment benefits per cent in a two-year period, providing over $3,100 in additional support a year. It is the largest increase in real terms in more than 40 years.

JobSeeker is designed as a temporary payment to support people while they look for work or are temporarily incapacitated or unwell. It is not supposed to replace lost wages or earnings. For those who do face barriers to work, there are higher rates of payment available. This includes parents with dependents as well as older Australians. As a result of the government's measures in this bill, job seekers with an assessed partial capacity to work of less than 15 hours a week will also be able to access the higher rate. This builds on the government's measures in the previous budget to extend eligibility for the higher rate from people aged 60 and over, to people aged 55 and over, who are on payments for nine continuous months. For these cohorts, shifting from the base rate to the higher rate means they receive more than $4½ thousand each year in additional support since this government was elected. That's an extra $170 per fortnight. The government is doing what we can to provide more support to those who need it most while balancing other fiscal responsibilities and putting downward pressure on inflation.