24th Jul 2019, 3:55 PM – Senate Motions - Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance - Increase

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by WA Senator Rachel Siewert (Greens), which means it passed. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own but are politically influential because they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that the rate of Newstart for single people without children is $555.70 per fortnight,

(ii) that the Federal Government has taken action to address deeming rates acknowledging that part-pensioners were struggling,

(iii) that the Salvation Army's 2018 Economic and Social Impact Survey found that after paying for accommodation, Newstart recipients were left with $17 a day,

(iv) the findings of an analysis by the Australian National University's Professor Peter Whiteford, that Newstart is the second lowest unemployment payment in the OECD if we look at the replacement rate, and

(v) that the Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot 2019 found there were zero affordable rentals for a single person on Newstart or Youth Allowance in any major Australian city; and

(b) urges the Federal Government to immediately increase the single rate of Newstart and Youth Allowance.