The Beagle
May 3, 2018
The question for Malcolm Turnbull when he visits the marginal seat of Gilmore held by Liberal MP, Ann Sudmalis, is could he live on $40 a day?
Yesterday, the Liberal Member for Chisholm, Julia Banks MP, showed how out of touch she was by claiming she could.
Well, the one in four young people looking for a job in Gilmore could tell a different story.
With youth unemployment in the electorate at 25 per cent and rental stress across the Shoalhaven now exceeding 37 per cent; the question for Malcolm Turnbull when he visits Gilmore, today, is clear: can you live on $40 a day?
This is just another example of a Liberal Government which is completely out of touch with real people.
Editors Note: Liberal backbencher Julia Banks has stated she could live on the less than $40-a-day dole payment, and a welfare recipient has challenged her to do so.
The maximum fortnightly Newstart payment is $545.80 for singles with no children, while the maximum fortnightly Youth Allowance payment for single, childless 16 to 24-year-old students living away from their parents to work or study is $445.80 — amounting to $38.99 a day for Newstart recipients and $31.84 a day for those on Youth Allowance.
This compares with a full aged pension rate, including the pension supplement and energy supplement, of $907.60 per fortnight for singles.Australian average weekly earnings after tax in November 2017 were $2,456.20 per fortnight.About a million Australians receive either Newstart or Youth Allowance.