According to ABC News, “people are lining up outside Centrelink offices across the country, with some queues stretching down roads and around blocks, as many businesses are told to shut from midday”.
Meanwhile, myGov has crashed “as Australians try to access government services like Centrelink online”. Government Services Minister, Stuart Robert, claims the site is fine but cannot cope with the unprecedented demand.
This again highlights why the government should adopt a temporary universal basic income (UBI) of $1500 a fortnight, deposited into every taxpayer’s and welfare recipient’s bank accounts. This could be implemented immediately, would eliminate complexity, and would eliminate the need to apply to Centrelink, thus overloading administrative resources and, most importantly, would aid social distancing.
The last thing we need is people huddling together while they queue for welfare.
UBI is a no-brainer, given the circumstances.
