Zoë Wundenberg | Challenging vs impossible: There's no debate when it comes to JobSeeker

Running a ten-minute mile is challenging. Doing well in an exam is challenging. A challenge suggests it's hard to achieve, difficult to get through, but not beyond the realm of possibility.

Many things are challenging, but surviving on Jobseeker is not one of them.

The maximum Jobseeker rate for a single person without dependents is $693.10/fortnight. The maximum Rent Assistance rate is $157.20/fortnight. That's a total of $850.30/fortnight, or $425.15/week.

Many people will look at these numbers and say, "Well, you have to cut your coat according to your cloth. If your income is now $850.30/fortnight, you have to slash your outgoings to fit that budget. Sacrifice your luxuries!"

What many politicians seem to forget is when you find yourself without employment, you aren't handed an unemployment support package. You aren't given a low-rent tiny flat in a dodgy part of town, your credit card and car loan repayments aren't put on hold, and you don't suddenly get access to free utilities. You aren't suddenly cured from all of your aches and pains, your need for medication and health appointments doesn't vanish, your teeth don't suddenly become hyper-resistant to wear and tear, and your car doesn't automatically service itself every six months (gosh, wouldn't that be handy, though?).

The average person has a median salary of $2500/fortnight. Most people budget their living expenses based on their salary, meaning if a single person without dependants is unexpectedly unemployed, their bills and costs that are budgeted to that $2500 suddenly have to fit into - at most - $850.30.

The lowest average unit rent in a capital city in Australia is $360/week (in Adelaide). So even if you managed to score a low-end rental despite having no job or salary, in a highly competitive market, you'd still only have $65.15 a WEEK for utilities, debt payments, petrol, healthcare and food. Of course, this isn't even acknowledging the expense of moving into said unit, which can be extremely expensive given the need for bond and advance rent, utility connections, packing boxes, truck or trailer hire, and don't forget the cost of breaking your old lease.

"We know you're doing it tough," we hear, as politicians nod their heads sombrely and paste compassionate looks on their faces. "We know it's a challenge to live on Jobseeker."

This isn't a Labor vs Coalition thing. This is an elite vs poor thing. A haves vs have-nots thing. Work over welfare has been a Labor policy since at least Julia Gillard. It's not that the politicians don't know exactly what living on Jobseeker is doing to people, that they don't understand, it's that doing something about it is not a priority. Our struggle isn't about informing them, it's about making raising the Jobseeker rate important to them.

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In November 2022, Labor announced the establishment of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee to provide independent advice to government before each federal budget as a means of tackling economic disadvantage in our communities. The current report came out on April 18, ahead of the May budget, and it recommended "as a first priority, [the government] commit to a substantial increase in the base rate of JobSeeker Payment".

Like the Coalition government before it, the Albanese government has taken these recommendations with a grain of salt. The report detailed the harm perpetuated on Australian citizens due to the vastly inadequate JobSeeker rate including suicidal ideation. What's the price of saving these Australians? $24 billion. But we can't possibly save them because we have stage 3 tax cuts that are largely benefitting high income taxpayers to pay for with a price tag of $254 billion over 10 years. Minister Jim Chalmers said of the decision, "We can't fund every good idea," and while I acknowledge that, it's sickening the government expects the poorest of our community to go without (again) so that other "more responsible" priorities can be made.

On March 18, 2021, Labor MP Linda Burney said she understood the frustration about the Coalition not raising the rate, but Labor couldn't do anything because they weren't in power.

She said in a tweet, "It's only the government that can change JobSeeker. And if you want to change the budget, you've got to change the government."

We've changed the government.

Living on JobSeeker is not challenging. It's impossible. Trying to, is killing your citizens.

Impossible, adjective. Not able to occur, exist, or be done.

Not. Able. To. Exist.