Centrelink payments: Youth allowance, Austudy, carers welfare get biggest boost in decades from January 1
About one million Australians will receive increases in their welfare payments from this week, with the largest boost in Centrelinks payments to young people in decades set to kick in from January 1.
Young people, carers and students will have their payments boosted by up to $20 a week in an effort to help ease rising cost of living pressures.
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The welfare payments will be indexed by just over six per cent, with Youth Allowance set to increase by between $19.10 and $41.40 a fortnight.
Austudy payments, which are for mature students and apprentices, will increase by between $32.40 and $41.40 more each fortnight, while those on the disability support pension aged under 21 and without children will receive a bump of between $27.40 and $40.70 a fortnight.
The rates for ABSTUDY, isolated children assistance, mobility allowance, double orphan pension, carer allowance and pharmaceutical allowance will also increase.
The increases are part of routine indexation that happens annually in January to keep up with changes in inflation, and this boost marks the largest indexation of Youth Allowance since 1998.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the increases would help ease the burden of rising cost of living pressures.
“This will have a significant impact on the hip pockets of young people,” she said in December.
“Income free areas for student income support recipients will also benefit from indexation, meaning they are able to earn more before their payment is impacted.”
Other rates such as Job Seeker and the Aged Pension are indexed at other times of the year.
What about JobSeeker?
The government announced the indexation boost in the wake of a major parliamentary decision for legislative overhaul that could prompt a rise in Centrelink JobSeeker payments.
Starting this year, an expert committee will look at the rate of payments like JobSeeker ahead of every federal budget to determine whether the payments are adequately supporting Australians.
It comes as part of a deal brokered by senator David Pocock to get the government’s industrial relations bill passed through parliament in November.
The annual review will look into each type of income support payment by the government and give advice on whether it will be lifted, including the aged pension, parenting payment and the disability support pension.
The review committee will then publish its advice two weeks out from the budget, but it will be up to the government to decide whether it follows the advice.
Pocock said earlier while it may not lead directly to an increase in income support payments, the reviews will add pressure to the government to justify its policies for Australians who live under the poverty line.
– With AAP
About one million Australians will receive increases in their welfare payments from this week, with the largest boost in Centrelinks payments to young people in decades set to kick in from January 1.
Young people, carers and students will have their payments boosted by up to $20 a week in an effort to help ease rising cost of living pressures.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Thrifty shopper’s sneaky grocery hack to save money.
Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
The welfare payments will be indexed by just over six per cent, with Youth Allowance set to increase by between $19.10 and $41.40 a fortnight.
Austudy payments, which are for mature students and apprentices, will increase by between $32.40 and $41.40 more each fortnight, while those on the disability support pension aged under 21 and without children will receive a bump of between $27.40 and $40.70 a fortnight.
The rates for ABSTUDY, isolated children assistance, mobility allowance, double orphan pension, carer allowance and pharmaceutical allowance will also increase.
The increases are part of routine indexation that happens annually in January to keep up with changes in inflation, and this boost marks the largest indexation of Youth Allowance since 1998.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the increases would help ease the burden of rising cost of living pressures.
“This will have a significant impact on the hip pockets of young people,” she said in December.
“Income free areas for student income support recipients will also benefit from indexation, meaning they are able to earn more before their payment is impacted.”
Other rates such as Job Seeker and the Aged Pension are indexed at other times of the year.
What about JobSeeker?
The government announced the indexation boost in the wake of a major parliamentary decision for legislative overhaul that could prompt a rise in Centrelink JobSeeker payments.
Starting this year, an expert committee will look at the rate of payments like JobSeeker ahead of every federal budget to determine whether the payments are adequately supporting Australians.
It comes as part of a deal brokered by senator David Pocock to get the government’s industrial relations bill passed through parliament in November.
The annual review will look into each type of income support payment by the government and give advice on whether it will be lifted, including the aged pension, parenting payment and the disability support pension.
The review committee will then publish its advice two weeks out from the budget, but it will be up to the government to decide whether it follows the advice.
Pocock said earlier while it may not lead directly to an increase in income support payments, the reviews will add pressure to the government to justify its policies for Australians who live under the poverty line.
– With AAP
