Robodebt affected hundreds of thousands of people and undercut trust in our political and social welfare systems. Unless we act on today’s royal commission report, something like it will happen again.
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Articles on Newstart
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The treasurer’s handpicked advisory committee recommended he lift the base rate of JobSeeker for everyone. He is acting as if it didn’t.
My new report for the royal commission examines why the practice of income averaging is so problematic.
Unemployed Australians who accessed their super during COVID stayed on benefits seven weeks longer than similarly-placed recipients who did not.
On September 20, the single rate of JobSeeker will climb $25.70, to $668.40 a fortnight – its biggest-ever automatic jump. Yet that’s only $17,378 a year: not even two-thirds of the poverty line.
The concept of unemployment and an unemployment rate is fairly new, dating back to the end of the second world war. It’s increasingly unfit for purpose.
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.
Even with the latest small increase, JobSeeker remains low by overseas standards – and, on one measure, it’s the lowest in the OECD.
Research undertaken for the National Summit on Women’s Safety has found one in four young Australian women in financial hardship experienced abuse from a current or former partner.
The most stressed are Australians on JobSeeker and single parents.
Other parents have got back the hours they lost. Not single parents. Many were forced to leave jobs to care for children.
An online survey suggests they found it easier to live, easier to care for their families, and easier to prepare for the world of paid work.
Any permanent increase is welcome, but there’s a long way to go.
Paying out 70% of salary for six months would line us up with much of the rest of the developed world.
Governor Lowe believes the unemployment rate will need to fall well below 5% before inflation climbs to the point where he needs to jack up rates.
The inadequacy of the Newstart payment was recognised long before the pandemic. We shouldn’t go back to it.
A new study highlights significant misunderstandings about the scale and scope of Australians who receive unemployment payments.
Senators have granted a two-year extension to a program for which there is little supporting evidence.
Australia has just run a real-life experiment.
Two-thirds of those surveyed want it linked to wages.
Top contributors
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Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Associate Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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Research Associate, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
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Associate Professor, POLIS@ANU Centre for Social Policy Research, Australian National University
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Professorial Fellow, Jumbunna IHL, University of Technology Sydney
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Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute
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Professor, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University
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Associate professor, Australian National University
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Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
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Director, POLIS: The ANU Centre for Social Policy Research, Australian National University
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Program Director, Economic Policy, Grattan Institute
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Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Sydney, University of Sydney
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Professor & Director, Jeff Bleich Centre for Democracy and Disruptive Technologies, Flinders University
