Newstart rise needed

‘‘I’m deeply concerned that in real terms the Newstart allowance hasn’t risen in 25 years and currently at $39.30 per day for a single person (it is) 40 per cent of minimum wage,’’ Dr Haines said.

‘‘Newstart is about trying to assist Australians at a difficult point in their life when they’re looking for work.

‘‘But what’s happening is that people are living in poverty. This makes it so difficult for them to find work when they’re having to choose between a roof over their head, turning on the heating or trying to buy some decent clothes to actually go to a job interview.

‘‘(If elected) I’ll be advocating strongly for those people in Indi who are on Newstart allowance.’’

Dr Haines pointed to the extra difficulty those living in rural and regional Australia have when looking for employment.

‘‘It’s more difficult for them to find jobs. It’s more difficult for them to have transport to go to job interviews. There’s less jobs around for them to apply for,’’ Dr Haines said.

‘‘We also know that if people in rural and regional Australia had a rise to their Newstart allowance it would have a significant, important and positive impact on our regional economies.

‘‘We know that people on low incomes spend all of their money back into the local economy.

‘‘So this would increase jobs across regional Australia.

‘‘We’ve got the modelling for that from Deloitte Access Economics and we know that ultimately it would be a very good thing for an electorate such as Indi.’’

Benalla local Ellie Campbell has had the experience of being driven into poverty while trying to survive on Newstart.

‘‘About 18 months ago I was diagnosed with a condition. It wasn’t enough to qualify for disability, but I couldn’t work any more,’’ Ms Campbell said.

‘‘This was something that wasn’t my fault. But like Helen said I couldn’t afford to live.

‘‘I couldn’t afford to go to specialists that my doctor had recommended. I couldn’t travel anywhere. I had to rely on food-banks and walk-in services just to get through the week.

‘‘Being on Newstart is depressing, it’s distressing and it’s socially isolating. I couldn’t go out with friends as I couldn’t afford food or drinks. It’s a huge issue. Living in such poverty is just indescribable.

‘‘If the rate was raised it would mean that I’d be able to go out and buy interview clothes for work, for example.

‘‘When someone starts on Newstart (they) don’t automatically get any funding from job service providers to get equipment for work, or to get things for interviews.

‘‘Being able to buy anything is hard. All my furniture is second hand, all my clothes are second hand and I had to stop buying medication.’’

Ellie managed to turn her situation around by returning to Benalla and getting some assistance from her parents.

‘‘I was actually very lucky in that I found a job for a few hours per week, which I could manage with my health conditions.

‘‘But it’s very hard to be in a situation when you have to rely on friends and family for things that should be basic and that you should be able to afford.

‘‘Luckily my parents were happy to help me.

‘‘When I first got sick I was living in Melbourne and I had to stop working entirely. I couldn’t afford rent. I couldn’t afford transport.

‘‘Everything is a bit cheaper up here. You miss out on the convenience of living in Melbourne, but it’s the only sustainable way for me live.’’

Dr Haines said the situation should be simple for any government to address.

‘‘It’s always a choice for a government when they are putting together a budget,’’ Dr Haines said.

‘‘Will they give significant tax cuts at high income levels? Will they spend money on hospitals and education? Or will they spend money on the people at the lowest end of our income stream?

‘‘So it’s always a choice and as the Independent candidate for Indi if I am elected to represent this community I’d be working with whoever is in government, irrespective of which party that might be, to focus on looking at the people on Newstart.

‘‘We need to raise this rate. We need these people who are currently only living on $39.30 per day, 40 per cent of minimum wage, to get a fair go.’’