Millions of Australians will receive a cash boost from Friday as part of the government’s regular indexation program.
Some of the benefits that will be affected include the Age Pension, the Disability Support Pension, and the Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
Amanda Rishworth, the minister for social services, said that the government is committed to providing adequate assistance to those who are still struggling with the effects of cost-of-living increases.
She noted that the indexation will help these individuals get more money to spend on essential items.
The increases will vary depending on the individual’s circumstance and payment.
For instance, the maximum rate of JobSeeker will increase by about $15 a fortnight for a single individual with no kids.
The partnered rate will go up by $14 a fortnight, which brings the total to $712.30.
For singles, the Age Pension will go up by almost $30 a fortnight, while couples will experience an increase of almost $40.
The same goes for the Carer Payment and Disability Support Pension.
In addition, the Single Base for Parenting Payment will increase by almost $20 a fortnight to $978.60. The Partners will get an increase of $14 to $712.30.
The maximum rate of rent assistance will increase by about 10 percent. For instance, the rate for single people will go up by around $23 to $211.20 a fortnight.
Families with two or more children will see their rates go up by around $27.02 to $248.92 a fortnight. Changes to the eligibility requirements for JobSeeker will also be introduced on Friday.
Individuals with a partial capacity to work up to 14 hours a week will no longer need to prove that they are capable of doing so to receive JobSeeker.
Those who are transferring from the lower to the higher rate will receive an increase of around $71.20 a fortnight.
The ACOSS, the peak welfare body in Australia, noted that despite the increases, many people still don’t have adequate support.
Despite the government’s efforts to improve the social security system, the ACOSS noted that many people still don’t have adequate support.
According to the recipients of JobSeeker, the current payment rates make it hard to survive.
The additional money that’s derived from indexation doesn’t go far when compared to the rising costs.
The organization urged the government to increase the payment rate for these benefits to around $80 a day to help people meet the basic needs.
