Anglicare WA advocating for a 'A Better Australia' for all

In the lead up to the Federal Election, Anglicare WA is advocating for ‘A Fair Life’ through 4 key election priorities to encourage ‘A Better Australia’ for all. 

Scroll down to see what we have been up to over the last week. 

Anglicare WA advocates for raising the rate of JobSeeker 

Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson appeared in media advocating for the Federal Government to raise the rate of JobSeeker and provide targeted cost of living relief.  But what is JobSeeker and why should it be raised? 

The What: 

JobSeeker is an income support payment the Australian government provides to people aged 22 to 66 (Age Pension age) who are unemployed and looking for work, or sick or injured and unable to continue their usual work or study.   

It helps eligible individuals cover their living costs while they search for employment, take part in training, or meet mutual obligations (i.e., activities or requirements) aimed to improve their employability.   

However, rather than providing a safety net, JobSeeker exacerbates financial insecurity and causes persistent poverty for many people due to insufficient payments that sit well below the poverty line.   

The Issue: 

For example, a single person on JobSeeker will currently receive $56 a day—which is 20% of the average daily Australian wage—to cover all their living expenses such as food, essential medicine, and housing. 

According to Mr Glasson, JobSeeker is “a subsistence payment that effectively holds people back.  It’s become a punishment, and what we need to do is ensure that it allows people to lead a good life.”   

“We know this [is possible] through the pandemic when we doubled the level of payment with the Coronavirus Supplement.  People made strides in their lives that were impossible when they lived on the original level, and income inequality fell.  We saw what was possible and chose not to stick with it.” 

The Solution: 

With the recent Federal Budget another missed opportunity to help people who need it most, such as those surviving on JobSeeker, Anglicare WA is calling on the Federal government to provide more support and raise the rate of JobSeeker above the poverty line to $82 a day. 

“We want those payments to take people above the poverty line,” Mr Glasson said, “and when you do that, you give them the opportunity to get good housing, you give them the opportunity to have good food and to prepare themselves for a good life. So that's what we want.” 

The Choice:  

Countering arguments that such a move is not fiscally sustainable, Mr Glasson noted, “The impact on the budget is minuscule really.  We know the whole process of budgeting is one of choices, and what we're saying is that there's a choice being made here to leave people in poverty.”  

“The choice that we're asking our leaders to make, and the choice that I think we should ask our candidates as we head into the next federal election is, are you choosing to hold people in poverty, or are you choosing something else, another future? I think it's an important question.” 

To learn more about Anglicare WA’s federal election priorities for affordable cost of living, please click here.