Five million Australians will see their welfare payments rise from today, while others are set to save money as Australia’s 60-day prescription scheme is expanded.
Among the welfare payments that will increase are the age pension and JobSeeker in line with indexation, which the government says will provide “timely cost of living relief”.
But Australia’s peak welfare body, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) says despite the indexation increases, the rates of many payments are inadequate.
“ACOSS welcomes investment in social security but the core issue remains: JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, and related payments remain below all measures of adequacy,” ACOSS wrote on social media on Sunday.
It said the government must raise the rate of these payments to at least $80 a day “so people can cover the basics”.
How much will the age pension increase?
By $28.10 a fortnight for singles; increasing the maximum rate to $1,114.40 a fortnight.
Couples will get a $21,20 a fortnight increase. That means they will receive $862.60 each per fortnight, or $1,725.20 total.
The same increase will apply to the disability support pension and carer payments.
How much will the JobSeeker payment increase?
Singles over the age of 22 with no children will receive a $15.30 a fortnight increase, with their payment growing to $778 a fortnight.
Meanwhile, the partnered rate will rise by $14 a fortnight totalling $712.30 each per fortnight, or $1424.60 combined.
How much will rent assistance increase?
A 10 per cent increase in rent assistance, revealed in the federal budget, will be applied at the same time as indexation.
The maximum rent assistance payment will rise by $23 a fortnight for singles living solo without children to $211.20.
Couples without children will receive a $21.80 a fortnight increase, making the total fortnightly rate $199.
Single parents and couples with up to two children will get a $27.02 fortnightly increase, taking the total payment to $248.22 a fortnight.
And single parents and couples with three or more children will get $30.52 more each fortnight, meaning the rate totals $248.22 a fortnight.
How much will the parenting payment increase?
For singles under the age pension age (67 years old), the base rate will rise by $19.20 a fortnight to $978.60 each fortnight.
And for partnered parents under this age, the base rate will increase to $712.30 a fortnight after a $14 fortnightly increase.
When will these payments increase?
The payments will increase from today, and the increases will apply automatically.
Youth Allowance is not among the payments set for an increase because it is indexed in January.
What else is changing?
New medications became available on the , with around 300 medicines in total now listed.
The latest group was introduced on 1 September and includes treatments for acne, anxiety, asthma, constipation, depression, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, glaucoma, dry eyes, obstructive pulmonary disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
The 60-day prescription scheme was introduced in September 2023 and allows people to buy two months’ worth of subsidised medicines on a single prescription.
The initiative is designed to save money and time by reducing the number of times patients need to see their doctor.
