The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) has demanded an urgent economic stimulus package targeted toward those most in need, including a $95 a week lift to Newstart:
“This leaves us in no doubt that the tax cuts failed to stimulate growth in spending and economic activity. Now the combined impact of the fires and the virus increases the risk of a serious downturn.
“The Government needs to take timely and comprehensive action to stimulate the economy and it can effectively do so while dealing with key challenges holding our economy and society back – poverty, homelessness and climate change. Support for industries directly affected is needed now, but it’s not enough. The Government must lift its own investment and spending to compensate for weak investment and spending elsewhere in the economy.
