I’m a Tassie grandmother who has seen first hand the devastating impact the low rate of JobSeeker (formerly Newstart) has on young families. Due to the impact of coronavirus, the JobSeeker rate has doubled - but it is set to go back below the poverty line when the pandemic is over. That’s why I am calling on the government to leave JobSeeker where it is and #KeepTheRate.

When it became apparent that millions of Australians were at risk of sudden unemployment due to coronavirus, the Prime Minister and Treasurer moved quickly to double JobSeeker. Seemingly overnight, we discovered that raising the JobSeeker rate was possible.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of Australians were pulled out of poverty. When this pandemic is over, we cannot let them slip back beneath the poverty line.

As we slowly, cautiously find a pathway out of this pandemic, we have a chance to fix the system that has been breaking vulnerable Australians.

I’ve seen the impact of this poverty cycle up close, and it breaks my heart. Sometimes it feels like this government is waking up each day thinking up new ways to make these poor people's lives even more difficult.

Before the shutdown, experts, politicians, even conservative media commentators all agreed - we needed to increase Newstart. If we don’t keep the rate where it is, we are letting children go back to a life of uncertainty and suffering.

Please Mr Morrison, keep everyone in this country safe, warm and fed by keeping JobSeeker where it is. 

Change.org/KeepTheRate