ACTU Calls For A Rise In The Dole
One of the glaring admissions from the 2009 Budget was a much needed increase in welfare for all the newly unemployed. And the ACTU’s call to raise the dole is very much welcomed.
From The Age:
UNEMPLOYMENT benefits should receive a significant boost and rise in line with the big increase to the aged pension in last month’s federal budget, the ACTU will argue.
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In Australia, unemployed single people on the Newstart allowance currently receive $226 a week, or a little over $32 a day — a rate that is less than half the minimum wage and now lags behind the aged pension.
The dole has been horribly low for ages, placing people under the poverty line and often condemning people to continuous poverty and unemployment because of this.
Governments and media have had a history of demonising this relative minority of unemployed but this image might be a bit unbelievable now considering the amount of new sackings as a result of businesses’ growing incompetence at running their own system.
Unemployment is tipped to rise, creating a groundswell of anxiety and anger at the current economic crisis. These people won’t be able to afford the necessity to eat and just get by, and surely this drop in spending will effect business too.
A rise in welfare for the unemployed would mediate the effects on ordinary people from the crisis. This is a much more valuable investment than bailing out banks or increasing defence spending. But I don’t think Rudd is going to hand down this raise without a bit of a push, a bit of a fight from unions and working-class people.
Interesting post, Ben. In Canada, the unemployment wage is based on a percentage of what your working wage was, so if you were barely surviving on minimum wage, you’ll get about 2/3 of that on unemployment.
Those whose unemployment run out (the length of time you’re eligible is based on the amount of time you worked) end up on Welfare, which is almost impossible to get off of.
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