In this podcast, @michellegrattan canvasses the budget with Treasurer @JEChalmers, Shadow Treasurer @AngusTaylorMP and The Conversation's politics + society editor @amandadunn10
The budget projects an improvement of more than $143 billion over four years, compared to the Coalition’s final budget, brought down in March last year by Josh Frydenberg
Should people aged 55 and over get a targeted boost to their JobSeeker payments? Our research suggests the need among young Australians may well be greater.
In this podcast, @michellegrattan and @amandadunn10 discuss another interest rate rise form the RBA, Labor's war on vaping and an increase to the tobacco tax, and the likely boost to JobSeeker for people aged 55 and over.
Managing expectations before a budget is always tricky. Two committees are making this especially so for Treasurer Jim Chalmers ahead of his second budget.
ANU economist Ben Phillips, a member of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, explains why it regards increasing JobSeeker as the most pressing priority for the Albanese government.
Instead of applying for 20 jobs a month, from Monday July 4 Australians on JobSeeker payments will have to earn 100 points a month. So what will you actually need to do?
Australians’ average subjective well-being has barely deviated over the past few years. But there have been some remarkable changes among disadvantaged groups.
You might be surprised to know that many unemployed Australians are not on unemployment benefits. And then came COVID – which saw a big shift in how many people were able and willing to claim.
With Australia now in the worst stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, there could hardly be a worse time for Australian government to cut and restrict its Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.
An estimated 540,000 Australians didn’t have paid work ahead of lockdown, so missed out on COVID-19 support this year. They’ve been left to live on $44 a day — well below the poverty line.
JobKeeper, the COVID boost to JobSeeker, and moratoriums on rent increases and evictions all ended this month. Only smarter policies will prevent homelessness, as a landmark Victorian report explains.
JobKeeper and the COVID Supplement to JobSeeker benefits will be gone in a week. The combined effect will be to halve some recipients’ incomes and the rent they can afford.