Anglicare Australia is calling on the Federal Government to urgently raise the rate of JobSeeker and other income support payments, after new research found people on Centrelink payments cannot afford basic living costs.
The 2026 Cost of Living Index finds that:
– A single person on JobSeeker falls behind by $251 a week after paying for rent, food and transport
– A single parent on Parenting Payment falls behind by $174 a week
– A couple with two children on JobSeeker falls behind by $428 a week.
“These figures show that Australia’s cost of living crisis is hitting people on the lowest incomes the hardest,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers.
“People aren’t literally spending hundreds of dollars more than they receive every week. They’re surviving by skipping meals, going without healthcare, living in unsuitable housing, relying on emergency relief, turning to unaffordable lines of credit and building up debts they can’t afford to repay.
“That’s the reality of life on Centrelink payments in Australia today.
“While governments debate tax reform and broad cost of living measures, people on JobSeeker are being left behind. Tax cuts don’t help much when you’re living below the poverty line.
“JobSeeker and other payments have failed to keep pace with the real cost of essentials like housing, food and transport. The result is that people are being pushed deeper into hardship through no fault of their own.
“We must raise the rate of these payments. Nobody should be forced to skip meals or go without a safe home because our social security system has fallen so far behind the cost of living.”