Tuesday, March 20, 2012

It's come to this. Each pension increase is now twice each dole increase.

Happy 20th! you get the extra from today.

You’ll be a bit better off if you’re unemployed from today, doubly better off if you’re on the pension.

The increases - $3.35 per week for the pension but just $1.45 per week for NewStart - reflect a widening in the gap since the once-similar benefits were first indexed differently in 1997.

The pension is now one-third bigger than NewStart and is set to grow bigger still as it increases with average male wages each six months while NewStart climbs with the consumer price index.

“The gap will widen to $132.90 per week with this new round of indexation,” said Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie. “ Newstart and the sole parents allowance should be treated like the age, disability and carer pensions. More than 100 organisations and 400 individuals have so far signed a statement supporting more equal treatment.”

In today's Age


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