*UNSW Social Policy Research Centre, Budget Standards, August 2017 (includes Rent Assistance)
Newstart is designed as a bridge until people find paid work, we get that.
But payments are now so low that people struggle to pay for essentials such as food and housing, not to mention putting away cash for an emergency. On top of this, looking for work takes time, money and effort.
So if you’ve never been on Newstart, consider this:
a single person on Newstart is getting less than 40% of the minimum wage in Australia.
And, because of the way Newstart is calculated, the gap between what a job seeker receives and what the average Australian earns is growing bigger and bigger.
Research indicates that such low incomes are linked to higher rates of homelessness and rental stress. In Victoria alone, one study found 43% of rough sleepers were on unemployment benefits. Australia's pie is not being equally shared.
If you were on Newstart, how would you fare on as little as $38.48 a day? Don't you think life would be a little easier if we shared Australia's pie?
A film about living on the Newstart unemployment benefit; the financial and personal struggle . Watch Trish's story.
* DSS Demographics, March 2017
*ABS Insights from data integration
40% can't pay a utility bill
50% don't have $500 in emergency savings
44% don't have access to dental treatment when needed
*ACOSS Paper 187
The Henderson poverty line for a single person, including Rent Assistance, is $510.71 per week.
*Melbourne Institute Poverty Lines, March 2017
