Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2021

Good Shepherd welcomes the Government’s acknowledgement that the rate of Jobseeker prior to the Coronavirus supplement was insufficient, and that a permanent rise is necessary. The proposed $25 per week increase to the permanent Jobseeker rate is also inadequate, and considerably below recommendations that have consistently been made about what is needed to low-income and disadvantaged Australians to rise about poverty. We call on the Government to reconsider this decision and support the ongoing calls for a $75 per week increase to Jobseeker and youth allowance.