Jim Chalmers Calls on Peter Dutton to ‘Clarify’ Unpaid Job Applicant Policy

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has called on Peter Dutton to “come clean” about how much the new job seekers policy, the centerpiece of the budget answer, will cost.

Labor’s budget bill last month outlined a proposal to raise job seekers by $40 for two weeks, $2.86 per day, and $90,210 for two weeks for those aged 55 and over, resulting in The budget will be $4.9 billion.

the liberalshis week agreed to support the government bill It’s for increasing bi-weekly payments.

But instead of raising the biweekly tax rate, they would try to amend the bill to extend the number of hours the unemployed can work before their payments are reduced.

Dutton said the amount job seekers can get before their pay is reduced should be doubled from $150 to $300.

Since announcing the policy, Dutton has given varying answers about how much his policy will cost, citing figures ranging from $700 million to “about half” of Labor’s total $4.6 billion policy. detailed.

Dutton said the cost would be submitted to the Parliamentary Budget Office, but Dr Chalmers said Australians now have a right to know how much it will cost.

“Opposition leaders spent more than 300 words on the new policy in their budget reply and never told us how much it would cost,” Dr. Chalmers said.

“It costs nothing and is undervalued. The coalition needs to come clean to the Australian public about how much it costs and how much they will pay.”

Social Welfare Minister Amanda Richworth described Dutton’s idea as a “thought bubble policy” that leaves more questions than answers.

“How much will it cost? How will it work?” she said.

“Peter Dutton, as a member of the Morrison Cabinet, had the chance to do this in 2021 when no income areas were set at $150, but he didn’t.

“I encourage Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor to stop making fun of Australians and reveal the true cost of their proposal.”

Among the proposed amendments to the Social Welfare Bill and other bills submitted by the opposition, Michael Thacker said that he would “withdraw the $40 per fortnight increase in the working-age pension base rate and expand income-free areas.” I called on the government to implement the policies of the coalition,” he said. We set it at $300 per 2 weeks to allow job seekers to earn more and fully retail job seeker allowance. “

An opposition spokesman said Tuesday that he would support the bill even if the amendment did not pass.