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.