Did you receive Job Seeker, Youth Allowance or Disability Support in 2020? What did higher rates make possible for you?

Did you receive an income support payment in the last year? Maybe Job Seeker, Youth Allowance, a parenting payment or the Disability Support payment?

I know many people would have received a little bit more over the last year with the corona supplements which have since dropped and are set to drop again.

What did higher income support payments in 2020 allow you to do?

I’m looking for stories of what higher payments made possible for CHOICE supporters. Your stories will help us call for fairer income support payments across Australia. It could be that you were able to upgrade an essential appliance for the first time or buy something that you or your family really needed.

CHOICE is a member of ACOSS and supports the campaign to Raise the Rate

We are hoping to share real stories in a letter to Federal MPs to make the case for a permanent increase in support payments. We know that $40 a day - or less - isn’t enough for most people to keep a roof over their heads, food on tables and to cover the basics. $40 a day is so low that it can remove a lot of options that help many Australians save money - like paying for services in advance or choosing annual payment options over monthly.

Any stories you share with us will be presented as anonymous by default. I’d love your comments here but you can also email me directly at campaigns@choice.com.au

Thanks in advance.

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I will email you.

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The bonus payments allowed me to purchase a long overdue refrigerator.

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I saved a bit from April to Sept, which allowed me to cover the full rent on my own for 6 weeks when my flatmates suddenly moved out and I couldn’t find anyone to move in.

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I was disgusted with our relatives who were “gaming the system”. Owned three properties, they and tenants unaffected by COVID, she not working by choice, then found she could get $3k unemployment and not have to seek work. Cleaned out $40k from their Super, then started asking for money from aged parents to buy goods cheap from people down on their luck which they intend & have resold for a profit. Saw her at a charity getting free food with a “pension” card. He works for cash and they say they pay no tax.
I can only apologise to all the people who really needed the help. I know that little bit extra did help some of our other genuine pensioner & under-employed friends & relatives.

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I know what I would be doing @zackarii if I was aware of this type of misuse of the support systems.
Both Services Australia and the ATO have, and encourage, reporting of possible fraudulent activities. A bit of attention coming their way from auditors may make them change their approach.

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Other than him working for cash, it’s not clear that they are breaking the law as opposed to taking advantage of people, and of a payment that wasn’t “meant” for them?

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On a related topic, I’m not able to access a Homebuilder grant, while a close, well-off relative can… I have only a small amount of funds, enough to go halves with a friend on a houseblock in a rural town where we each plan to build a small (dual occupancy) home. Because we own the land jointly but are not a couple, neither of us is eligible for Homebuilder.

My relative has >10x as much money as me, has just built a $700k house, and is entitled to both Homebuilder and a similar state government grant.

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