A fair and compassionate safety net for all
The Australian Government must take action to provide a decent and dignified standard of living to people who are forced to turn to our social safety net in times of need, the Human Rights Law Centre has told a Senate committee inquiry into the proposed increase to Jobseeker and other support payments of just $3.57 per day. Too many people are currently left living below the poverty line, including a disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families living in remote communities where higher costs of living, and discriminatory income management and work-for-the-dole programs, exacerbate the hardships of inadequate income support. The rate of all income support payments should be raised to a level that allows everyone to afford the basic essentials of life.