Seniors join call for rise in Newstart

    July 16, 2019
    The Australian

Seniors groups have joined economists, business groups and ­social services advocates in calling for an increase to the Newstart payment, saying that an increasing number of older Australians are struggling to make ends meet on the unemployment benefit.

National Seniors Australia spokesman Ian Henschke said the Morrison government’s ­decision to cut deeming rates on pensioners’ savings was “a start”, but called for a complete review of welfare payments received by older Australians, saying many were being “pushed into poverty by a Newstart rate that for ­decades has lagged behind the cost of living”.

The debate came after Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said she did not believe a debate about whether she could live on the pension was relevant, telling Melbourne radio 3AW: “It is a generous amount of money that the Australian taxpayers make available to our older ­Australians.”


While the Newstart payment is indexed to CPI, welfare advocates say it has fallen 40 per cent in real terms over the past 25 years because it has not been linked to wages, let alone living costs, over a period when property and rental prices have risen dramatically.

Business groups including the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia and the Business Council and economists such as Deloitte Access Economics senior partner Chris Richardson have said a $75-a-week boost to Newstart would have a much more profound stimulatory effect on the economy than income tax cuts, given those on low incomes generally spend any money they have.

A single, childless Newstart recipient receives $555.70 a fortnight, often supplemented by an $8.80-a-fortnight energy supplement and a maximum rent assistance payment of $137.20 a fortnight, or $91.47 a fortnight if they are living in shared accommodation.

Mr Henschke called on Josh Frydenberg to broaden the government’s retirement income ­review to look at pensions, rent assistance and Newstart rates.

“We’ve got a hidden but growing group of over 50s in Australia who lose their jobs, then find it really hard to get back into the workforce, and we’re making it even harder for them to do so because the New­start rate is just so low,” Mr Henschke said.

Council on the Ageing spokesman Ian Yates said the claim that most people received Newstart temporarily was “flying in the face of reality when people over the age of 50, and particularly over the age of 60, are regularly staying on it for many years,” Mr Yates said.

The Treasurer said two-thirds of Newstart recipients moved into employment within a year.

Aqua - leave sir Crook aka White Knight alone -
you don't know his actual situation.

forgiven
namaste

Aqua - you don't know his situation
so you stop making assumptions.

forgiven in the spirit of master Light.

namaste

Greybeard Power!

PZ547 wrote on Jul 16^th, 2019 at 9:05am:


.. and studies show mostly provides none of the benefits that are claimed.... the bloke in the Korean restaurant is a one in a million shot....

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Jul 16^th, 2019 at 9:24am:


One in a million
Opportunities are everywhere
there has never been a society with more opportunities
People who don't believe that suffer from success barriers and limiting beliefs

People are like plants
They are stuck growing in some crap soil with a crap water supply
And we say you could uproot yourself and come grow over here where there's lots of water and sunshine
But they won't do it

There's that moment of chaos when they have to move and they don't have the courage to do it

The sad thing is when they hear a story about a plant but did move
And it's flourishing and growing into a mighty tree
That story doesn't inspire them
It just makes them mad

Nothing makes people more furious then seeing someone else succeed by taking actions that they were totally capable of taking
It makes them bitter and resentful
It makes them want to destroy things
It makes them want to destroy society.

Whenever I hear people calling for a revolution
I know those people are suffering the pain of their own inertia and inability to take opportunities
Jealousy envy bitterness rage nihilism

That's the consequence of refusing to take your opportunities
Tragic

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Jul 16^th, 2019 at 11:24am:




I totally totally totally understand that some people have it rough
I completely agree that lots of people have every reason to feel sorry for themselves
Who doesn't enjoy a good pity party

But at the end of the day you really have to ask yourself is this helping me or not


And the answer is always that self-pity does you know good whatsoever
So in as much as you can stop doing it you should stop doing it