Welfare payment increases were announced this morning.
The federal government has announced welfare payments are set to receive their largest indexation increase in up to 3 decades.
According to the ABC, the maximum rate of pension will increase to $1,026.50 a fortnight for singles and $773.80 for each member of a pensioner couple.
Increases to the JobSeeker payment, Parenting Payment, ABSTUDY and Rent Assistance are also expected.
Labor MP Clare O’Neil today said that the Albanese government was “getting to work” by making the increases, and Labor senator Murray Watt tweeted that "we’re providing the biggest cost of living increase in 30 years to pensioners, carers, JobSeekers, single parents, students & more.”
"Labor cares.”
But is that telling the full story? Let’s look at some facts:
The increases are what’s called indexation increases - which are considered automatic or routine.
This page shows previous increases in every single January, March, July & September since 2013, as well as an additional one in April 2013.
This happened under the Gillard & Rudd Labor governments, as well as the Abbott, Turnbull & Morrison Coalition governments.
It’s also understood that the larger increase is simply because of inflation being at higher levels this year.
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