The Australian Council of Social Service welcomes the passage of both stimulus packages through the Parliament last night, highlighting more will be needed.
ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said they are relieved to see that the $550 per fortnightly Supplement will now be extended to students on Youth Allowance, Abstudy and Austudy.
They will advocate for more support for people who remain uncovered by income support if they have no paid employment, including asylum seekers. This includes people with disability, for carers and others who have specific needs in this health and economic crisis, which must be a priority.
“We also need to see more action at both state and federal levels on housing security. Along with many other community sector organisations, we are calling for additional financial support, and temporary eviction moratoriums, as well as cash assistance to help people already homeless or in overcrowded unsafe housing conditions. We must end homelessness now, literally. This is essential to responding to the health crisis, and the right thing to do,” she said.
The stimulus packages, which have now passed Parliament, include:
ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie continued: “While we’ll need more certainty over the longer term, the $550 fornightly supplement comes as a huge relief to many right now.”
She notes that everyone who is already receiving a social security payment does not need to contact Centrelink. The additional support will be provided automatically if you are already receiving a social security payment.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to 5000 additional Centrelink staff and we urge the Government to roll out a public awareness campaign to deliver clear, accessible information on income support payments and processes and to work with us to do this,” she said. “The current events highlight just how important it is for all of us that we have a strong, safe, adequate social safety net for everyone, and that government provides adequate resources for it to respond, including in times of crisis.”
Her advice on accessing Centrelink are:
For people who have lost their jobs and need to apply for a payment urgently, follow this guide:
In person: If you do decide to line up, please practice social distancing.
Dr Goldie’s team is monitoring advice from Centrelink. All staff are doing all they can to help people trying to get support, but with high demand, things may take some time so understanding on all sides is requested.
Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.