JUNE 28 2020
Talk of dole increase incorrect: minister   
Canberra Times

The government says claims of a permanent boost to unemployment benefits are factually incorrect.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston says reports the Morrison government will make a permanent increase the dole payment beyond September are "factually incorrect".

News Corp newspapers, citing senior ministers, had reported the JobSeeker payment would rise to $75 per day from $40 when the present enhanced version of the unemployment payment ends in September.

"What I can say about the story that was written today is there is no submission to the effect that has been reported in the paper," Senator Ruston told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.

"We are very focused on the temporary measures we need to put in place to make sure that we can get Australians through this pandemic to the other side."





The JobSeeker payment, formerly known as Newstart, was doubled to around $1100 a fortnight as a support measure during the pandemic.

Treasury has reviewed both JobSeeker and the JobKeeper wage subsidy, but the findings won't be released until July 23 when Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivers a much-anticipated economic statement.

"At the time, we said they were targeted, they were temporary, they were measured and they still are and we are working in that environment of transition at the moment. We're not looking at the long-term," the minister said.

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the government of keeping the review secret until after Saturday's Eden-Monaro by-election.

He said businesses are laying off workers because of the uncertainty this is creating.

"The government is holding businesses and workers hostage to the by-election date and putting politics before people once again," Dr Chalmers told AAP.

"Scott Morrison should release the JobKeeper review immediately, not keep Australians in the dark."

Senior Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said people who had been forced onto the dole because of the coronavirus pandemic were in for a shock if the JobSeeker payment returned to its pre-crisis rate of $40 per a day.   

"It is an inadequate payment, it doesn't allow people to live with dignity," she told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.

"We now have hundreds of thousands of extra people joining the dole queue, people who have been working full time until very recently that would very much struggle if what's now called JobSeeker went back to the old Newstart rate."   

The coalition government has long argued against raising the unemployment payment, which hasn't been increased for 25 years apart from indexation increases.

There is widespread support for an increase from Labor, the Greens, welfare groups, business organisations like the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group, economists and the Reserve Bank.

Australian Council of Social Service CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said the rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and other income support payments need to be raised for good so that everyone has enough to cover the basics of life, like a roof over their head and food on the table.

"As we handle the COVID-19 health crisis and confront the economic crisis, more people than ever before will struggle to find paid work," she warned in a statement.

An increase in the unemployment benefit is long overdue but what is a bit concerning was the story I read in yesterday's West Australian newspaper where apparently a lot of people (mostly casuals I assume) don't want to return to work for the time being while JobSeeker is twice the normal amount.

And, it seems that a lot of "rich kids" have been moving back in with mum and dad in Perth's wealthier suburbs and living the 'high life' on the doubled JobSeeker payments.

One employer who was interviewed said that when he called staff to tell them their shifts were once again available, a lot of them were saying things like "call me again when JobSeeker returns to the normal amount".

In these cases, the employer should be able to contact Centrelink and tell them what's going on and have the employees' JobSeeker cut off if work is now available for them.

Quote:


That is reported on ABC 24 as fake news.

Probably

Socialists are always on the lookout for a handout.

The Lefties' Lament
Give us a handout
Give us a handout
Come on ScoMo
Give us a handout again.

Socialists flock to a handout like flies to a corpse.



Dole over work: what did our leaders expect?
AMM 30.06.20.

As former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones often said, “If you hand out free meat pies in Martin Place Sydney, you’d have a line-up around the block!”

In 1961, John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address inspired Americans to see the importance of civic action and public service, in other words, patriotism! His historic words, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country!”

That was JFK’s challeng for every American to contribute in some way to the public good.

Well, the imagery of pies with tomato sauce and the notion of  patriotism might have been sold by our leader, if we had one, to the many Australians who have raised their fingers to imply, “stuff Australia, we’ll take the free money thanks!”

Business owners across the nation are struggling to recruit staff despite surging unemployment, as calls grow for generous COVID-19 assistance measures to be rolled back amid fears people are being deterred from finding work.

Scott Morrison warned that JobSeeker, a temporary doubling of the dole, could not become an impediment to rebuilding the workforce, as Coalition MPs offer differing views over the future of generous stimulus measures as the economy emerges from lockdown.


Jobless opt for dole as businesses struggle to find workers despite unemployment surge
Source: Geoff Chambers, Patrick Commins and Joe Kelly, News Corp

New National Skills Commission data to be released on Tuesday reveals more than one in two employers who are struggling to recruit workers say their top challenge as they look to rehire following the COVID-19 economic shock

The Prime Minister said on Monday the government had received feedback from businesses concerned their hiring problems were the result of prospective employees being on “higher levels of payment”.

He also warned that the government would not allow the JobSeeker payment to “become an impediment” to Australians returning to work and “getting extra shifts”.



https://morningmail.org/dole-over-work-what-did-our-leaders-expect/#more-118294

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Jun 30^th, 2020 at 11:51pm:

Privatisation is just one aspect of neoliberal doctrine that has wrecked the Australian economy over the past 40 years. The goal of neoliberalism is to redistribute wealth to the rich at the expense of everyone else.

Privatisation: rich people buy these assets and jack up the price, after a government has lied and said the price would not increase. Rich people get richer, everyone else pays.

Perpetual high unemployment: allows the rich to threaten workers with poverty if they dare ask for pay rises in proportion to corporate profits. Forcibly restrains the wages of workers, forces other workers to go without gainful employment, the rich pocket the difference. Rich people get richer, everyone else pays.

Tax cuts for the rich: these are paid for by increasing taxes on everyone else. Regressive consumption taxes such as a GST are often a prominent part of neoliberal policy, and these get increased at some point after unfunded tax cuts for the rich create budget shortfalls. Rich people get richer, everyone else pays.

juliar wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2020 at 3:34pm:



Someone got a dictionary for Xmas.