Indexation of welfare payments is legislated for, occurs twice a year for most payments on March and September 20, and once a year for youth payments on January 1. It’s not a real increase, and in fact as it’s calculated off already inferior payments that can’t even see the poverty line, people on them get further behind each time, and those on lower payments get less.
It’s the time of year where welfare advocates sigh and try to refute the narrative that this is somehow a cash splash and we’re all grateful and off living it up at the pub this weekend.
So, Labor got in in May 2022, my DSP and Rent assistance then was $881.80 a fortnight, it's now, 2.5 years later going to be $1061.60 a fortnight.
$180 exactly increase a fn, $90 a week.
20.4% increase. https://t.co/mH4xItkPAt pic.twitter.com/KVYtpIq75j— 💜 phonakins 🇵🇸🍉🔻 (@phonakins) September 20, 2024
It also doesn’t fully come in for a month.
The 10% increase of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (being touted by some pollies as 12% cos indexation also comes in) only applied to the 14% of welfare recipients who do get CRA, and doesn’t help millions of others at all – the ones not on leases, living in cars and on the street, trying to escape violence, people with mortgages trying to keep their homes.
This is a whopper of a lie. What the fuck are you talking about @AmandaRishworth?
It is NOT AT ALL TRUE that Commonwealth Rent Assistance 'drives down rents across the board'! That is staggeringly false.
From the @TUNSW today: https://t.co/PichsX8Uzy pic.twitter.com/P0Wyed5EWW
— Tom Studans (@maximumwelfare) September 20, 2024
So, in other news, I ventured to the new “NourishEd” food pantry in Toronto today. I got their $10 hamper and some things from the shelves for free. The local member also popped in while I was selecting free sanitary pads – Hi Dan! in his chat with the organisers they said how they’re ineligible for most grants as they’ve not been open a year. They also made me happy when they said that while it’s needed they’d love to NOT be needed ideally. I was a bit overwhelmed at that stage since I’d been out all morning so didn’t chime in, but yeah, I plan to talk to them further about lobbying for actual change and I do also want to talk to them about getting a Smart Recovery group going on site that they mentioned right when they started fundraising.
Got a weekend ahead cleaning – rental inspection Tuesday. Hopefully all will be well. My arms are tired from knocking down spiderwebs yesterday.
New welfare rates are detailed here.
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