Returning JobSeeker to $280 a week a grave mistake

Monday 11 May 2020

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has again indicated that the Government will wind back the JobSeeker (formerly NewStart) allowance to $560 a fortnight as soon as possible:

There’s no guarantee the government’s income support measures will last the full six months as initially touted, the Prime Minister has revealed in a press conference on Friday…

“I can give them the certainty that I want them to be back in their jobs, where they don’t need it [JobKeeper or JobSeeker],” Morrison said.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.