13% of Australia is below the poverty line
The poverty line is roughly $450 p/w
JobSeeker is $357.85 p/w
Before COVID it was $280 p/w
This is unacceptable for a wealthy country such as Australia. JobSeeker must be lifted to at least #80aDay!
THREAD #auspol

Why? #80aDay is $570 per week. This would put those on JobSeeker ABOVE the poverty line. Not only does this benefit the recipient, it also benefits the economy.

When those on JobSeeker can finally afford to buy enough food, get a haircut or take care of their physical and mental health, this puts more money into the economy. Money trickles up, trickle down economics is a sham. Every dollar from #80aDay will trickle up!

With more spending in the economy, more jobs will be created. Those on JobSeeker will be able to take those jobs! Currently in Australia there are more applicants than available jobs. Telling the unemployed to 'just get a job' is insensitive and stupid. Most people want to work!

Could you live on $51 or $40 a day? I couldn't. It's inhumane to not have the safety net above the poverty line! If I lost my job and found myself on JobSeeker, it wouldn't even cover my rent. Yet we expect people to pay their bills and buy their food with JobSeeker? Ridiculous.

How do we even expect people to apply for jobs when they are struggling to survive? #80aDay would help job seekers buy interview clothes and transport/petrol to attend interviews. You can't expect those starving themselves to pay their bills to be in a condition to find a job!

Mental health affects us all regardless of our financial status. Struggling to pay the bills or being unable to afford food or to go out with friends would create mental health issues for anyone. You can't except those struggling with mental health to easily find a job! #80aDay

In an ideal world, I'd be asking for JobSeeker to match the minimum wage! You wouldn't be able to convince Labor of that let alone of the Liberals so lets start with #80aDay for now!

It's time for @AustralianLabor and @AlboMP to support #80aDay rather than their weak stance of wanting to increase the rate without committing to a value! Labor should be there for all Australians and that absolutely includes those below the poverty line!

Lastly, next time you see @JoshFrydenberg bragging about his mediocre economic management with his cherry-picked statistics. Remind him that 13% of us are below the poverty line and it's his job to fix it! No one in Australia should be below the poverty line! Make it #80aDay!