Amid the growing controversy over Australia’s pathetically low unemployment benefits, it has been revealed that that the Turnbull Government cynically tried to bribe the Senate cross-bench with a $660 million welfare increase in exchange for them passing the company tax cuts. From The SMH:
The Coalition government secretly proposed a $660 million boost to welfare payments in its failed efforts to secure Senate crossbench support for tax cuts for large companies…
The proposal… would have introduced a $5 a week boost to rent assistance payments for welfare recipients…
ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie told Fairfax Media… “Newstart has not been increased in real terms for 24 years, while we have had sustained economic growth. Rent Assistance has not been increased in real terms in 18 years. At the same time, the cost of essentials like housing, has drastically increased.
The irony here is that with the company tax cut package axed, there is now more money in the Budget to provide a decent increase in welfare payments, such as Newstart and rent assistance.
