Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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.
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.