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

The disability support pension is intended for recipients that have a physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that is likely to persist for more than two years. The condition must be diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised and the person must also be assigned a qualifying score under the DSP impairment tables.

Unlike DSP, the JobSeeker payment is intended for people with a temporary incapacity to work. The JSP recipients with a PCW of zero to 14 hours per week have been assessed in terms of whether there will be a functional improvement within two years. A higher payment rate would assist impacted jobseekers to support themselves to a greater extent while still pursuing work for its social and economic benefits. The JSP recipients with a PCW may also be eligible for a temporary incapacity exemption from mutual obligation requirements.