Community groups are calling on the federal government to expand the scope of welfare payments during the New South Wales lockdown, saying a new support package doesn’t meet their needs.
Under the package, the federal government's COVID-19 disaster payment scheme for employees who have lost working hours has been .
The payment is available through Services Australia to citizens, permanent residents, and temporary visa holders with the right to work, including international students.
Announcing the package on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the temporary measures were aimed at delivering support as quickly as possible.
But some organisations have been disappointed the targeted support does not include broader measures to assist unemployed and under-employed Australians.
The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) said the package excluded people on the lowest incomes.
In a release on Tuesday, ACOSS said people on Jobseeker and Youth Allowance who were unable to enter the workforce during lockdown were at risk of being neglected.
"They are struggling to get by below the poverty line with Jobseeker just $315 a week, yet, the government’s announcement today excludes them from the disaster payments, despite many having lost paid work because of the lockdown," CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said.
"While we welcome that the increased disaster payments will help many people on low and modest incomes who have lost paid work due to the lockdown, those on the lowest incomes are being left to face destitution and homelessness."
Democracy in Colour national director Neha Madhok was critical of the size of the disaster payment made available to migrant workers and international students.
"Without access to real income support - not a payment that’s below minimum wage - and a real vaccination rollout plan, our communities will continue to be left behind long after these lockdowns are over," she said.
NSW Council of Social Service CEO Joanna Quilty welcomed the extensions of support for people experiencing homelessness, along with a new moratorium on evictions and incentives for landlords to agree to rent reductions.
"However, if the lockdown is extended further, more support may be required," she said.
Unions expressed their disappointment at the federal government’s decision not to re-introduce a wage subsidy scheme, similar to Jobkeeper.
Instead, the federal government’s business support scheme will rely on a cash flow boost model, with eligible companies required not to lay off staff while receiving economic assistance.
"Instead of guaranteeing workers weekly pay and a connection to their jobs, workers now have to navigate Centrelink and hope their employers keep them on," said ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
