Crossbench hit major parties with election demand to increase social welfare payments (6 Feb 2025)
Article summary: Influential crossbench MPs, including Kate Chaney, have declared that raising social welfare payments will be a key condition for their support if a hung parliament occurs after this year’s federal election. With the latest Newspoll showing a tight contest—Labor trailing the Coalition 49–51, and Anthony Albanese leading Peter Dutton as preferred Prime Minister—there is a strong possibility that neither major party will secure a majority, making crossbench backing crucial.
On Wednesday, prominent independents, including Teal MPs Kate Chaney, Zali Steggall, Monique Ryan, alongside Helen Haines, David Pocock, Greens MP Penny Allman-Payne, and Liberal MP Bridget Archer, backed a push by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) to raise JobSeeker and Youth Allowance payments. Currently set at $56 and $47 per day, ACOSS argues these payments must be increased to at least $82 to help vulnerable Australians cope with rising living costs.
Kate Chaney, who represents the Perth electorate of Curtin, emphasised that ensuring people are lifted out of poverty is fundamental to maintaining fairness in Australia. She noted that fairness is a recurring theme in discussions with her electorate and that in a minority government scenario, she would engage with both major parties to determine who best represents her community’s values. “Bringing a million people back to a life of dignity by pulling them out of poverty, I think, is pretty fundamental to living in a fair country,” she stated.
Zali Steggall (Warringah) and Helen Haines (Indi) also reaffirmed their commitment to raising social welfare rates. Steggall stressed that supporting vulnerable Australians should take precedence over subsidies for mining companies. Haines added that in a minority government situation, MPs could exert significant influence to push for much-needed changes, and raising welfare rates would be one of her top priorities if re-elected.
ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie underscored the urgency of increasing payments, stating that the current rates have been “grossly inadequate” for far too long. She urged all political leaders to make this issue a priority if a minority government is formed, warning that failing to act would have dire consequences for those struggling to survive on inadequate welfare support.
Related article: Budget in Reply - 3 July 2024
