Scott Morrison announced yesterday the first real increase in the 'Newstart' allowance in years, a flat $50 per fortnight for singles. With 'Jobkeeper' and the 'Jobseeker' supplement ending in March, many of the unemployed will have nothing but the dole to survive on. Some workers have seen their incomes, savings and supa eroded over the past year as they have struggled to make ends meet through the pandemic. With the ending of 'Jobkeeper' what we are going to see is a new breed of unemployed, people who have worked all their adult life in seemly secure jobs, never requiring social assistance, suddenly finding themselves and their families trying to survive long term on meagre agovernment handouts. Australia is in danger of creating a newer and larger underclass of poor, something not seen since the Great Depression on 1930.

Paul,

Yes and live well, but it'd be in a tent out in the bush, somewhere where there is plenty of game to hunt and a decent water supply.

For the average citizen though it wouldn't be anywhere near enough for the minimum required in a modern urban society.

What a moaner! Its obvious that people do live on the dole, so give it a rest. It's all some bludgers need, and they won't do any work that is available to them when it's available. We have to import people from Vanuatu to do rural jobs. You aren't Saint Paul, and your constant whining isn't going to make any difference to anyone. Compared with most countries, Australia is a bludger's paradise. The ridiculously lavish welfare is what attracts all the Third Worlders here.

something not seen since the Great Depression on 1930.
Paul1405,
Only among white hetereosexuals, the rest will do fine. Also, there's a massive difference between not wanting to work & looking for employment. Then there is the fact that Public Service salaries are set so high that Welfare needs are growing due to the inequality caused in comparison to ordinary wage earners. The Public Service payroll is so high that no funds are left for economy-revenue-creating Govt projects.
People such as yourself who constantly demand more for less are the cause. People such as yourself who don't believe in reward for effort but demand that bleating victim without actually being a victim is a morally valid stance to demand more welfare. I say, create employment for parents foremost & demand that those who deliberately make themselves unemployable get involved in a National Service scheme to earn their keep.
In a word, people of working age MUST be employed AND earn their salary by at least a standard wage. Public Service unions must take a step back in their demands & prove via annual appraisal that their salaries are not above their performance !
Then & only then will we all be able to live within our means & by our efforts !
Then & only then will we be a society that doesn't need to keep blaming others because of ourselves !

The new deal, including allowances and consessions looks pretty good for doing nothing. There are some stricter compliance conditions, but as conditions have been rarely policed in the past, there is no reason to think that a government throwing taxpayers money around will be any stricter.

I always try to live on under $30 per day whether I'm working or not- to be resilient in our unstable Liberal Democratic so called free society. Our young are often struggling to find their first productive job- in a pointless soul destroying meaningless exercise watched on by uncaring authorities- because of toxic political forces on both the liberal left and right- away from Traditional values. In older times the village helped unproductive young into roles that benefited the productivity of the village. But the village has become subverted by importing aliens that don't share the values or history of the community- in the name of mass society- surprise surprise it's a disaster- then the authorities and power brokers blame the community. No wonder individuals in the community have become alienated, atomised and vulnerable- isn't that the point in communism to atomise and re-engineer society in the communist image- well they've got what they wanted- both the left and the right are using divide and conquer strategy to gain power to maintain an elite class- they just do it for different reasons. At least those on the liberal right look after their own families- this at least is noble- and creates a tenuous meaning in a meaningless void. I'm skeptical of the concept of the "world citizen" often characterised by mega rich travellers on yachts- of course there are always those that need to drive and cook and serve on the yachts- the reality perhaps is much more squalid- think Soylent Green but worse. As they say happiness can only be understood in the contradistinction. A cohesive society can't be subverted.

$44 a day wouldn't pay the rent.

However, to make ends meet there are some excellent cat and dog foods, that are made to human consumption standards, are great value for money and they are often on 'Special' at the supermarket.

Economical too as they are a bit rich for the average human palate and can thus be used sparingly and have some flour or stale bread added.

Having worked in the industry I can recommend Pedigree Pet Foods products and our house cat loves "Dine" 'cuts in gravy' made in Australia by Mars Petcare Australia.

Yes Is Mise- keeping the rent under $20 per day is becoming more challenging all the time especially given the Australian economy is being supported by a property bubble and has become decoupled from average wages by foreign investment by students and other channels. Certain people within the Australian context are experiencing a short term wealth redistribution as a result of this. One of the processes seems to be- Students come to Australia and pay money to the universities and property owners (causing a theoretical international wealth redistribution)- students get jobs to cover the costs and distort the employment market (the wealth redistribution is translated into one that impacts low income low skilled locals rather than the international visitors)- I can't understand how certain people can say that the number of foreign students in Australia don't influence the employment market in certain industries especially low skill ones. The overall effect of the wealth redistribution seems to be from low income locals to universities and certain property owners. I believe that certain ethnic politicians are heavy investors and beneficiaries of student accommodation- there are a few reasons perhaps why they aren't loyal to the local population.

Country shoppers posing as refugees have been jumping countries to get their snouts into our generous welfare for years now. They stick together and live very well. Australians on welfare have to accept that no work means not much play, or the benefits of work.

Could you live on $44/day ? Not really but you can exist on it !

We also need to remember that the wages of workers whose taxes pay for welfare have been stagnant for some time now.

Investment in durable housing and housing ownership can provide for a more stable and cheaper and manageable existence. The British Industrial Revolution was in a sense built on community infrastructure. Some investments last for a thousand years.

Others prefer the diversion of novelty.

With appropriate public housing assistance, perhaps yes, as housing costs take much of the spending burden.

But govts have abandoned this important need, as I argued in Quadrant magazine in 2007 when I supported recent policy trends but highlighted my concerns.

Article was "how the Opposition can make a difference', or something like that

The dole was never meant, & never should be enough to live on long term. It is meant to be a support mechanism while people find a new job. The simple fact that farmers are plowing in millions of dollars worth of vegetable crops, & watching fruit rot on the tree for lack of pickers puts the lie to rubbish about no work available.

I can see no reason why working tax payers should pay more so the work shy bludgers can live in large cities, capitals, or nice resort areas. If they want the amenities of large cities, it is fair they work to afford them. Oz has plenty of small towns with cheap rentals, for the work shy.

I lived near a dole town. It was actually a very nice area, but after the coal mines & the power house closed, it had little reason to be as large as it was. This led to low rents, & an influx of dole bludgers. Many of these were quite nice people, just lazy. Many found that a day or 2 a week cash in hand, along with the dole, was more than they could earn, after tax, in a real full time job.

Some were a bit ashamed of how they were living, but others rationalised that if the government offered, they would be fools not to accept.

The slightly higher NewStart ($50/fortnight singles) is a good thing. Its been JOBSEEKER, way over the level of NewStart, that has damaged the economy in my area.

Where I live unmet demand for juniors and casuals has soared because wouldbe workers prefer free time (off the job market) reliant on much higher JobSeeker Payments.

Small businesses (eg. clubs, restaurants, milk bars) here have suffered not directly because of Covid but because of much higher JobSeeker payments keeping labour off the job market.

wages of workers whose taxes pay for welfare have been stagnant..

This argument by ttbn is blindingly glaring example of why the situation can simply not improve.
Workers wages are sufficient, it's the Public Service salaries/benefits that are too high.
A pensioner just complained to me that "I bet our Pension won't go up". I told him I was quite happy with my pension & I don't give a hoot if someone worse off than I gets a little raise. After all, their spending power will go towards a greater turnover for local business which will help lifting the economy a tiny bit. No ! That wasn't good enough for him. Very much like ttbn's argument. Let's work on a long freeze for bureaucrat salaries until we can actually afford another raise which can only come about by giving blue collar workers more spending power instead of more money !

Not too sure but I'll ask Soot to ask Jen.

If Jen says yes than just tell me where I go to sign up.

Public servants, in general, are no better off for wages than the rest of the workforce; a public servant fitter and turner, for example, gets the award wage, as do ps plumbers, welders and gardeners etc.

is Mise,
For crying out loud, Tradies aren't overpaid bureaucrats ! Does everything need to be explained over & over ? How about using some imagination sometimes !

Some seem to have missed the point of this thread. I expected the 'Usual Suspects' to go on about dole bludgers and lazy good for nothings, they never disappoint me. I'll repeat the part of my opening post at the heart of my concern.

"With the ending of 'Jobkeeper' what we are going to see is a new breed of unemployed, people who have worked all their adult life in seemly secure jobs, never requiring social assistance, suddenly finding themselves and their families trying to survive long term on meagre government handouts. Australia is in danger of creating a newer and larger underclass of poor, something not seen since the Great Depression of 1930."

These are people who have for many years paid taxes, paying off a mortgage, or paying high rent, been raising children at school, running two cars, having annual holidays at Noosa or some such place, keeping a pet, etc, living the Australian dream, mostly two income families. Generally unemployment hasn't touched these middle class folk all that much in the past. If they had experienced unemployment it would have been short term and not have greatly impacted their lives, an inconvenience easily overcome. The notion that one or both could now face long term unemployment, with a loss of up to 75% of past income would be devastating for their family position. The numbers of Australian impacted this way in the coming years could be several million, men women and children. High unemployment is expected to be with us for some time, and with 8 job seekers on average for every 1 job available, things look grim for many, once 'Jobkeeper' ends, and their secure job(s) is no more.

Hi Issy,

I have to take you to task about your claim that 'Dine' is a cheap meal. No it is not, checked the price lately? Its only affordable for billionaires, and those well of Pensioner Welfare folk. Us self funded retirees are luck to enjoy a can of that top shelf pet food at Xmas time, if we are lucky! On the yacht last Xmas my butler was forced to serve our guests 'Lobster Thermidor' the wife and I just couldn't afford cat food!

Thanks for sending me the latest copy of your book 'Road Kill Recipes for the Unsuccessful Hunter' I do like those pet food nosh ups you have included at the back. I particularly enjoyed the "Chum with a Kitty Kat Sauce", and its low on cholesterol as well. And thanks for having your Great Dane "Shorty" slobber over the front cover, better than you autographing the inside. Thanks a mill, there's a can of black label Pal on the way as a thankyou.

Chris Lewis said- With appropriate public housing assistance, perhaps yes, as housing costs take much of the spending burden.
But govts have abandoned this important need, as I argued in Quadrant magazine in 2007 when I supported recent policy trends but highlighted my concerns.
Article was "how the Opposition can make a difference', or something like that

Answer- Much public housing seems to be occupied by refugees and immigrants pushing locals out- I would prefer to see more per capita housing ownership- they can maintain it themselves- you design it to be easily maintained.
It's not just about the spending burden as that's just one side of the equation- there would also be room to reduce the social security burden- someone has to pay if someone isn't working.

If there is a higher proportion of people on unemployment the burden is higher on everyone- more effort should be spent on increasing productivity to prevent suffering on everyone- but this requires investment- which requires money that is already in short supply.

In theory if there are a million people- that million people if managed properly should be able to produce enough food and shelter for that million people- assuming that they haven't overpopulated the land.

Perhaps management is part of the problem- perhaps expectations are another part of the problem.

We need to revise our assumptions.

I will try to find your article Chris. Thanks.

CM,

It might have been my 2007 article titled "In Rudd we trust: the failure of left wing commentary", October 2007 (lead story).

It is hard to find all my comments in long essays.

Had four pieces published under Paddy McGuiness.

Individual,

"For crying out loud, Tradies aren't overpaid bureaucrats ! Does everything need to be explained over & over ? How about using some imagination sometimes !"

People tend to leave 'bureaucrats' out and just think 'public servant', there are many public servants and many bureaucrats, most of whom are on wages, often lower than their contemporaries in the non-Government bureaucracies.

I believe public housing is totally immoral. Those who get into it are set for life, bludging on the tax payer.

Rents in public housing are often lower than the actual cost of living in the same house as an owner, & with the total inefficacy of bureaucratic systems, the maintenance costs are way higher than an owner would incur.

A company I ran supplied 2 states housing commission/trust organisations with water & energy saving stuff, & saw this first hand.

One aboriginal island settlement in Qld, with about 240 houses bought 800+ shower heads in a single year. We assumed they must have been using the solid brass items as fishing sinkers.

ok, so battlers should be left to compete in this absurd housing market which has become unaffordable for more and more people here.

I am not talking about freebies, I am talking about smaller apartments that are subsidised, with people still obliged to pay.

Paul,

You forget that the unemployed get housing or a housing allowance, free medical and many other benefits that you don't include. My son moved out and into a share house where his budget incl accommodation was $350 a week which he had no problem keeping to while he saved to go overseas.

The dole is a safety net, not an alternate lifestyle.

Thanks Hasbeen for your valuable perspective on the public housing issue.

I've often thought that simple low maintenance low cost 2x2 sized metal boxes could be placed in parks for temporary secure shelter for homeless along with simple low maintenance low cost showers and toilets- factoring in risks such as fire, etc- they could perhaps be hosed out by council maintenance. One problem is that teenagers might use them too. I'm sure there are other issues too.

... often lower than their contemporaries in the non-Government bureaucracies.
is Mise,
And, so they should be considering their safe, risk-free employment which allows them to plan years ahead, a luxury most others don't get !
Perhaps if performance appraisal were an annual thing with a very real possibility of demotion of rank due to lack of performance, many would seriously consider becoming more responsible !
Presently, people get paid no matter what under the Peter Principle ! That must stop !

I could probably live on $44 a day, my rent and rego comes in at $14 day together;
- but you might need to ban me from eBay, Kogan, Afterpay and Zip-pay.

I've got a $2000 Afterpay limit with no up-front costs on purchases and also the ability to reschedule payments, plus there's now bonus rewards and discounts for using it, so it's hard not to.
And I've also got a $1000 zip-pay account why I can buy things and not have to make a first payment for 6 weeks or something.
If I use zip-pay more I'm sure they will up my limit too.

I'm trying to limit my purchases but sometimes you just can't help it.
I probably owe around $600 or so at the moment.

Interesting Armchair Critic, your rent & rego cost almost exactly the same as my rates & home insurance. As that doesn't include my maintenance it is obvious that rental can be a lot cheaper than home ownership, at least in some parts of the country. That does of course represent 3 months of single pension, those councils are very greedy. My cars are on top of that.

I had to borrow $6000 bridging finance when I bought this place 29 years ago, waiting for part of my last property on 3 titles to settle. Cleared that after 3 months, & I have not owed a cent since. If I can't pay cash, I don't buy it.

I work on spending about $100 at the supermarket weekly, & take $100 cash out at that time. If that runs out that is it, no more money that week.

I do have to be a bit careful of these on line hobby shops, as I do still enjoy building my remote control planes, which replaced restoring classic cars when that became a bit heavy. It would be easy to go overboard on the net. Much easier to be sensible when you have to actually pull the cash out of your wallet, rather than thin air.

I used to download plans & do all framing myself, but since they started wasting all the balsa in windmill blades, balsa is a bit expensive & hard to get in some sizes. Now I buy kits, build them, fly them a couple of times, then give them away. It's the building that is the best part.

A few people who are time poor but love RC flying have brought kits for me to build for them. This is the best of both worlds. They get to fly just what they wanted, & I have the pleasure of building them.

Hey Hasbeen,

I saw a deal last week about eBay plus.
The offer is pay $49 for the annual subscription, get a $50 voucher.
Now I wanted to buy this $289 graphics card for my computer, that enables me to plug in more monitors.
I could've used the $50 voucher, but they offered me 20% off if I used Afterpay and an extra 2% if yo're an eBay plus member.
So I took the 22% off saved $34 and paid $254, and kept the $50 voucher.

Now, one of the benefits of eBay plus is you get 5% off at Coles (I think it used to be 10%) and free delivery over $49.
Now you can just shop the half price items, (there's apps purely for weekly half price items, or the catalogues) get an extra discount on top of half price item and get it delivered to your door free.
I'm used to going down there in person and paying cash but its almost hard not to move to these new ways.

You can buy digital gift cards at a discount and save on top of existing savings at the checkout.
I went in to Super-Amart on one of their cheap days - Black Friday or something and hammered out a deal for a new mattress.
Sealy - I think it was like $649.
I paid the $149 as a deposit then bought a $500 digital gift card for $470 which I paid when I came back to collect with the trailer.
Mattress now $629.

Discounts on discounts.

I bought 2 Dell monitors normally $399ea, they're on order.
A current Dell special on eBay reduced the price by 22% to $309 each.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/324294557480
Then I used another 22% discount (20% for using afterpay 22% for eBay plus members)on top of the first 22% discount to reduce the price down to $241 each.
- And I don't even have to pay anything up front, no costs if I pay on time, and they even give me rewards on top now as well.

And I've still got my $50 shopping voucher.

Here's an app for half price grocery specials at Coles and Woolies:
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codylab.halfprice

And also the place I get discounted gift cards is through my banking app on my phone.

It's a different world now than it used to be, but there are ways you can gain an edge, or extra discounts if your savvy and prepared to take the time.

Downloading Takeaway apps like Maccas, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster, KFC, can save you on food.
7 Eleven app can find you cheap fuel price in area and lock that price in at your local 7 Eleven as can Woolies dockets.

I saw a phone deal a week or so back for mobile data.
Good if you have an unlocked mobil wifi, like this, only this is probably locked to optus and you need to pay an unlock fee.
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/optus-4g-wifi-modem-50gb-data-white-op3002381
You just buy the sim cards cheap on the specials and throw them away when done, I had a kogan offer in my email yesterday.
http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-mobile-prepaid-voucher-code-extra-large-30-days-40gb-490/
$4.90 for 40gb data unlimited calls and txts.

Woolies had a mobile sim with a big discount a week or so back which includes 10% off monthly shop.

So when you ask can you live on $44 a day you can;
- However the costs of rent, rego, fuel and if you smoke, are going to affect that budget.

I've friends whose whole houses are furnished with facebook and gumtree freebies.
- Not mattresses or whitegoods or tv's but just about everything else.
You'd be amazed what people give away these days.

I was down at the tip about 3 weeks ago and I went over to the lady and said, "You really shouldn't throw that away".
I said it's an Italian designer leather lounge in perfect condition with no marks or wear, unless there's a tear in the back I can't see that really shouldn't get chucked out"
She comes over, sure enough - perfect condition.
I said if you don't take it out I'll come back with my trailer and take it.
She said "Oh I thought it was just fake leather".

This site has a daily newsletter with heaps of cheap deals
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/

$44 is 69000 Satoshis per day.

1 million satoshis is a bit like 1 cent in a dollar.
There's 100 cents in a dollar and 100 million satoshis in a bitcoin.

Armchair Critic,
Well, could you live on that for a day ?