This petition is to call on the Australian government to extend the new Job Keeper payment to all temporary migrants in Australia who are not currently eligible.

On 30 March 2020, the government announced that the new Job Keeper payment will only be for Australian residents, New Zealand citizens in Australia who hold a subclass 444 special category visa, and migrants who are eligible for JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance. 

We ask you to please sign this petition to help us call on the government to allow employed migrants on all visa classes to access the Job Keeper payments, if they fulfil all other eligibility criteria.

Many temporary migrants are not eligible for majority of government benefits. Without the newly announced Job Keeper program, numerous migrants may find themselves in financial distress. In addition, with the global border closures and flight disruptions, the vast majority of these migrants will find it very difficult, if not impossible to return home in the near future.

These migrants are an essential part of the Australian economy and make a huge contribution to our labour force. As a society, we must provide these migrants with the same support as we do for all Australians and the government must not neglect them as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Therefore, we ask that the Australian government offer equal support to all workers by extending the Job Keeper program to the temporary migrants.

Please sign this petition and show your support for all workers in our country for equal rights!