A NEW survey reveals that most Australians – except the very rich – believe that welfare payments should be set at the cost of living rather than the barest minimum.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An Australia Institute survey for Anglicare Australia asked respondents whether welfare payments should be set at a percentage of average wages, should consider the cost of living, should ensure the government can balance its budget or should be set at a bare minimum.
Overall, two thirds of respondents thought payments should reflect the cost of living,
But 11 per cent said the welfare payment should be set at a bare minimum. Of these, 24 per cent were households earning more than $150,000.
Only one per cent of those with household income of $20,000 or less supported the bare-minimum proposition.
Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers said the results showed the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.
“They point to a growing gulf between the expectations and understandings of life for people on the edges of our society and those on above-average incomes,” Ms Chambers said.
“It is the people doing it tough, and those who work with them, who know what’s going on.”
UnitingCare Ballarat Development worker Chris Dennis said he was not surprised at the results.
“It’s not surprising that those on higher incomes favoured the bare minimum,” Mr Dennis said.
“This group is generally more disconnected with basic living expenses, including food and basic accommodation costs.”
Ballarat resident Calvin Lee said Australia was a very wealthy country and could afford to support those who were facing tough times.
“Society benefits as a whole when we look after those who have less,” Mr Lee said.
“A lot of those who are unemployed are mentally ill or ill-trained.”
Ms Chambers said the popular notion that people who were out of work were simply dependent on welfare and lacked drive or incentive ignored the barriers to employment faced by disadvantaged jobseekers.
“We need to engage with the reality of life... rather than presume – as it seems so many Australians do – that it’s just a question of biting the bullet, writing the resume and sending them out into the overflowing job market,” she said.
