The decision not to increase jobseeker this budget just shows that politicians aren’t thinking about people like meSee all our Australia budget 2025 coverageBudget 2025 winners and losersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s decision not to raise the jobseeker rate in the budget is a blow to people struggling like me.Living off jobseeker has never been harder. While the cost of everyday items is going up, our weekly income stays the same.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…The decision not to increase jobseeker this budget just shows that politicians aren’t thinking about people like meSee all our Australia budget 2025 coverageBudget 2025 winners and losersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s decision not to raise the jobseeker rate in the budget is a blow to people struggling like me.Living off jobseeker has never been harder. While the cost of everyday items is going up, our weekly income stays the same.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…
The government’s decision not to raise the jobseeker rate in the budget is a blow to people struggling like me.
Living off jobseeker has never been harder. While the cost of everyday items is going up, our weekly income stays the same.
I am currently living in crisis accommodation in regional New South Wales. Being on jobseeker has meant I cannot afford to pay rent as well as everyday expenses. I’m trying hard to look for work but there are very few jobs in my area.
I have three school-age children which I share custody of with their father, and when they are with me, I stress so much about being able to provide for them, as I receive only $718 a fortnight. It would change everything if the jobseeker payment went up in line with the cost of living, but unfortunately the government has made the decision to leave it at the same rate.
I’m in the process of trying to find a job so that life isn’t so hard, but I feel even with a job, things would still be difficult. It’s been impossible for me to be approved to rent even a one-bedroom apartment on such minimal money, which has led me to crisis housing.
I feel like politicians who have never had to be on jobseeker have no idea how hard it is to live on it. While I’m grateful that the budget has reduced the cost of doctor visits and medication, this doesn’t address the spiralling cost of everyday expenses such as food.
I have had to experience homelessness just because the cost of everything has become so high. But people who have never been in these situations would have no idea how hard this is. They would not know what it’s like to have to constantly budget and make even a small grocery shop last days. And I know they might think, “they can just get a job if it’s so hard”, but I’ve been looking for a job for so long and it’s impossible, especially in a rural area.
I’d say to the politicians: imagine what it’s like to not have the job you have. Imagine struggling to put food on the table not just for yourself, but your children. We are just normal people trying to get by on such minimal money, and of course we feel like less of a person because of that.
I can’t seem to get myself out of this situation because my money is so limited. I’ve been applying for houses for $220 a week, but they look at my income, and I know I’m not even close to being accepted for it. I will probably have to be homeless for a while until someone gives me a chance at a job, but until then, life will be such a struggle. I can’t even afford to take my kids to the park and buy them some lunch while we are out. School clothes, school lunches, school shoes, school excursions anything to do with school is hard to pay for. It makes me feel like less of a parent knowing my child will feel less important to their friends who have the best of the best because their parents can afford it.
I am constantly having to ask people for money, promising to pay it back when I get paid, then putting myself in hardship that fortnight because of paying that debt back. Not to mention the amount of actual debt I’m in now with fines or loans because I don’t have enough money to even pay them off, even on a payment plan.
I don’t think politicians think about these things when they choose what to put in or leave out of the budget.
I’d just like to ask that next time there is a budget, jobseeker is increased. We are not the kind of people who want to “live off” the government. We are just ordinary people trying so hard to get by, to find a job and to care for our kids, but the cost of living has made this impossible.
-
Laura Azzam lives in regional New South Wales