The federal Labor Opposition this week formally endorsed an increase to Newstart alongside an immediate Parliamentary Inquiry to consider the new rate. This means Labor will vote against a Greens bill to increase the payment by $150 a fortnight on the grounds that the review should come first to decide the appropriate rate. PeakCare supports the media release issued by Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) following this announcement, reiterating its call for the federal government to reconsider its position on not raising the payment rate.ACOSS Acting CEO Jacqueline Phillips noted that “it has been 25 years since an increase to Newstart in real terms”, and that both the Coalition and the Opposition must agree to a raise of at least $75 per week to make the payment liveable. Read the ACOSS media release, or consider writing to your government MP and voicing your support for the payment raise.
