‘$3.10 isn't even a litre of milk’: Centrelink recipients slam latest payment increase

Rising living costs continue to put immense pressure on Australians relying on welfare support.

While government payments are adjusted in line with inflation, many recipients argue these increases fail to keep pace with real-world expenses.

For those on JobSeeker, the Age Pension, and Commonwealth Rent Assistance, the latest payment adjustment has sparked frustration rather than relief.


Welfare recipients have slammed the latest Centrelink increase, saying the adjustment fails to ease the financial strain they are facing.

From today, payments such as JobSeeker, the Age Pension, and Commonwealth Rent Assistance have risen in line with inflation.

However, many on welfare said the increase was too small to keep up with the soaring cost of essentials.


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Centrelink rise slammed as ‘pointless’ by recipients. Image source: Getty/Scott Barbour


Damien, 62, said the change was ‘paltry’ and did nothing to help him afford food or medication.

‘I just scoffed at it. I just feel like not accepting it. It's not going to do us any benefit at all,’ he shared.

‘$3.10 isn't even a litre of milk. We're supposed to be the lucky country.’

He had been on JobSeeker since 2019 and briefly took on a part-time job last year to break free from the welfare cycle.

Despite earning $400 a week, the increased income meant his Centrelink payments were cut, and his social housing rent—calculated as a portion of his income—rose.

He quit after a few months, saying it ‘wasn’t worth the trouble’.

With rent set to increase again in May, the JobSeeker indexation would leave him $4.50 worse off.

Social housing tenants have long criticised the system, where any increase in Centrelink payments triggers a rent hike.


Trudi, a disability pensioner, said she had grown frustrated with the cycle.

‘We get absolutely nothing, it's b*******,’ she said.

‘The government is slapping itself on the back, beating its chest... it's not enough, it will never be enough.’

Emily, 25, said she was forced to choose between basic needs, often skipping meals to afford essentials.

‘I am living on one meal per day,’ she said.

‘If I run out of both my medications at around the same time, I must choose between medicine for my chronic pain or medication for my PCOS.’

She said her rent accounted for 55 per cent of her income, leaving her unable to afford internet and sometimes struggling to recharge her phone.

‘This is my reality, and the reality of countless others,’ she said.


The rising cost of living had made it harder for JobSeeker recipients to get by, with many now relying on charity organisations for essentials.

Even dual-income households had turned to outreach services as food prices surged.

Since March 2020, grocery prices had risen by 17 per cent, while rental costs had increased by 37.6 per cent, according to CoreLogic data.

Petrol had jumped 42 per cent since 2022, while insurance costs had risen by 20 per cent.

JobSeeker had increased from $565.70 per fortnight in 2020 to $781.10 today—an adjustment of 27.5 per cent.

Despite these increases, many argued the payment was still not enough to cover necessities.


The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee reported that JobSeeker payments remained below all benchmarks, causing severe hardship for many Australians.

It recommended raising JobSeeker to 90 per cent of the Age Pension, which would bring the payment to $942.39 per fortnight.

The Australian Council of Social Services had called for an even higher increase to at least $82 per day.

Damien said even an extra $100 per week would not be enough for a comfortable life.

Mission Australia’s Marion Bennett warned that failing to raise JobSeeker would have wider consequences.

‘If people are able to receive an adequate income, then they actually will be less frequently needing to use other government services,’ she said.

‘So there's actually a return on that investment of $1.24 for every dollar invested in JobSeeker.’


Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said today’s increase would ‘help ease some pressure’ but did not indicate whether further changes were planned.

She pointed to other government measures, including an $11.5 billion investment in welfare support.

Shadow Social Services Minister Michael Sukkar said the opposition had no plans to change JobSeeker, arguing that employment was the best way to improve living standards.

‘Few countries provide the strong safety net available to Australians,’ he said.

He added that since JobSeeker was taxpayer-funded, any changes needed to be handled ‘responsibly’.


In a previous story, the government announced a separate Centrelink change aimed at providing relief for pensioners.

While some welcomed the update, others questioned whether it would make a real difference.

Read more about how this change could impact pensioners.

Key Takeaways
  • Welfare recipients said the latest Centrelink increase failed to keep up with the rising cost of living.
  • Many struggled to afford essentials, with some skipping meals or choosing between medications.
  • Experts called for a higher JobSeeker rate, warning that inadequate payments caused severe hardship.
  • The government defended its welfare measures, while the opposition said any changes must be handled responsibly.

With the cost of living continuing to rise, do you think current welfare payments are enough to support those in need? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
 

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Mate, you don’t need a million $ Super to live very comfortably.
I have $300,000 in super, worked hard for 50 years as did you, paid of my home and cars, raised 3 kids. Wife worked and I worked two jobs but we are living a very comfortable existence now and even doing overseas trips.
I'm in the same boat as you, worked hard to pay for a home, raised my two kids on my own after a divorce and took any job I could so I could save for the future. Because I didn't squander my money on rent and having a good time I too am comfortable and travel for overseas holidays. Yes there are people who through no fault of their own are struggling now but there are also the ones who are screaming the loudest because they expect the government owes them. Enjoy you autumn years as am I.
 
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I'm in the same boat as you, worked hard to pay for a home, raised my two kids on my own after a divorce and took any job I could so I could save for the future. Because I didn't squander my money on rent and having a good time I too am comfortable and travel for overseas holidays. Yes there are people who through no fault of their own are struggling now but there are also the ones who are screaming the loudest because they expect the government owes them. Enjoy you autumn years as am I.
If you pay taxes it is not unreasonable to expect something back, in services or other kind.
Other countries pay more in benefits and have healthy economies
 
You can't blame any government for what your landlord charges, it not up to them to pay for your rent increases or if you need a guarantor. No government is able to dictate what landlords charge so you can't argue there.
Actually you can blame the government, due to all the tax concessions for property speculation
 
The upcoming increase in the pension:



Some reflections.



I realise that the upcoming increase in the age pension has some, particularly those in political circles salivating and celebrating the anticipated increase of $2.30 per week for a single pensioner and $3.50 per week for a couple.

I certainly realise that under a LNP government the even unbelievably modest increase would be unlikely and that the LNP still harbour the desire to control our money by introducing the ‘cashless debit card’ treating us like we are all financially incompetent nitwits incapable of managing our money.

However, not withstanding the above just how euphoric should one get?

The single person increase equates to about 4.5 cents per hour based on a 38 hour week and will buy about half a cup of coffee or slightly less.

As I understand it, this half yearly increase is meant to be in line with cost of living increases.

I wonder how this is calculated??

I mean, there are costs that have had a major impact before even considering daily food prices

Example: house and contents insurance on my place increased by $450 for the year despite no claims, not in flood prone area and ‘shopping around’

Council rates increased by about $200 per year in round figures, health insurance went up about $3 per week or $150 per annum.

Now, one does not have to be a genius to work out that even with just those three items, the $2.30 per week increase falls far short of these increases.

Perhaps I should do away with health insurance and house and contents insurance??

Or, perhaps a proper livable pension could be paid so that when indexed it actually more closely reflects the cost of living increases?

Yes, I’m lucky because I own most of my house; about 90% of it, even a bit more but things must be even more challenging for those who don’t own a home.

I know people will race to defend the increase but, I’m sorry, I think it’s a paltry amount based on a miserly basis.

Should I be grateful anyway?

Perhaps. I was in the paid workforce for 52 years, never unemployed, paid taxes every year and hopefully, contributed positively to the community.

Is the expectation of a decent pension in old age unreasonable?

Not all of us were able to save and access a million dollar Super.

I don’t have the skill set to determine what is reasonable but the current rates don’t ‘feel’ anywhere near fair.

I note that many aged pensioners are having considerable trouble balancing the budget when unplanned contingencies arise such as serious dental work.
So you are comparing things, how about the cost of getting coffee and other commodities into Australia has risen dramatically so we charged more plus the greed of the suppliers doesn't help but on the other hand there is also a huge amount of job seekers expecting government handouts while not even thinking of getting a job and also the increase of people going onto the age pension yet the population expect more police, hospitals, doctors, cheaper medications, better infrastructure and the list goes on so where does any government get the money to pay for all this when there are fewer people paying taxes. People say they worked and paid their taxes to get a pension but their taxes paid for the pension for older Australians back then but there is so few who work now to cover us and it's only going to get worse in the future. You can't compare anything unless you include everything.
 
So you are comparing things, how about the cost of getting coffee and other commodities into Australia has risen dramatically so we charged more plus the greed of the suppliers doesn't help but on the other hand there is also a huge amount of job seekers expecting government handouts while not even thinking of getting a job and also the increase of people going onto the age pension yet the population expect more police, hospitals, doctors, cheaper medications, better infrastructure and the list goes on so where does any government get the money to pay for all this when there are fewer people paying taxes. People say they worked and paid their taxes to get a pension but their taxes paid for the pension for older Australians back then but there is so few who work now to cover us and it's only going to get worse in the future. You can't compare anything unless you include everything.
Your logic is faulty. If the cost of coffee etc has gone up, with subsequent price increase then so should income or everyone is worse off.
Claims are that unemployment is low so where are all these job seekers, or is it that there are not many job vacancies.
A big problem is that it is cheaper to import workers than train our own. Remember when workers got on the job training and we had a healthy TAFE system.
Given the paltry amount of job seeker the overwhelming majority want work.
Why don't we have more services? Simple.

Cut taxes so funding is unavailable and inadequate.
Cut education funding so there is no training.
Flood the country with immigrants so that we need more services.
Let housing prices be rorted so the birth rate declines
 
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Do not be so personal and critical of another on this site - I doubt you know every aspect of why he is/has been on JobSeeker. Not everyone is in your boat. Some, through no fault of their own, could be in a boat that is sinking while you ‘appear’ to be floating well above the stormy seas. I see your comments as very vile, and extremely rude towards those who are the more unfortunate among us. Perhaps his ‘lazy fat arise’ as quoted by you, is a darned side smaller than yours.
Yes, but he obviously CAN work as proven by him getting a part-time job earning $400 p/w, but quit after a short time because it marginally reduced his welfare payment, saying "it wasn't worth the trouble". I agree that jobseeker payment is too much and certainly should NOT be raised to the same as age pension.
 
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The recent Centrelink Age Pension incrase does not even cover the Government approved increase in private health contributions. At 74 I have managed to keep these contributions going to try to avoid adding my treatments to the overloaded public health system but I don't think that I an continue for much longer. My pension is supplemented by a small payment from a superannuation account but this is diminsishing quickly!
 
There are a large number of countries in the World where there is no pension in place, and even if there was, the majority wouldn't live long enough to claim it, so I consider myself very lucky to live somewhere where I receive a regular income every fortnight in my retirement.
 
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Just got my car insurance yesterday. Up $100. Power increase up to 10%. Fuel prices up 10cents per litre, grocery prices are up. PBS went up. I'm only worse off for around $40 per fortnight. I guess if I don't eat, I won't shit as much so I won't need to flush. Might save some money on the water bill.
 
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job seeker is a privilige to help get one a job. this one who has been on since 2019 and his pathetic dribble makes me angry. in fact if one does not appreciate the government help keep on grizzling. it is a tough world but it is one that we have known is ahead of us. it seems to me that some have not saved during their working years, stop blaming the government.
 
dont these bloody politicians realize that the Australian public, are angry because the Government SEND millions and millions of taxpayers money to countries that will NEVER pay it back...
The skimpy little amount the pensioners are allowed, is not enough to pay their bills, and eat, because often there is nothing left... how depressing must that be, how much anxiety would that cause.

I would love to see the people who make these decisions, to live on a single pension for 3 months.... no help from anywhere, normal bills, shop for groceries themselves...and of course watched every second so they dont cheat.... Fail, Fail.... too bloody soft and ignorant.
 
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job seeker is a privilige to help get one a job. this one who has been on since 2019 and his pathetic dribble makes me angry. in fact if one does not appreciate the government help keep on grizzling. it is a tough world but it is one that we have known is ahead of us. it seems to me that some have not saved during their working years, stop blaming the government.
Job seeker should only be for 6 weeks.... should have to show with proof, the jobs applied for...and front up every week to Centrelink. And take the first job thats offered... Doctors letters have to be produced etc..
 
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What a cruel comment. Not everyone is able to work. Your lack of empathy is staggering. The amount they get hardly keeps them in food and rent. Many would work if they were able. Do you know this man's circumstances? Don't make such a vile comment until you know tha facts.
if they are unable to work is there not one called a disability allowance. i agree with the comment made. so many grizzlers.
 
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The increase in Job Seeker and the age pension is ludicrous. Almost couldn't believe it when I read the amount. Why are we funding an Olympics when so many people are struggling? $800,000 for Aucus to a country that is about to slap us with tarrifs and is lead by a dictator. The supermarkets should hang their heads in shame for their price gouging. It appears worldwide that the rich get richer and the poor struggle. I am in my 80's and I fear for kids going forward.
the rich get richer because they have worked hard and still work. supermarkets supply jobs, supply food and we have to choose wisely when shopping. if you feel so strongly grow your own vegetables.
 
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If you live in government housing the $3.10 increase on job search is pointless as the government take back 1/4 of any increase it gives us. It's a joke and Australia is a laughing stock of the entire world.
 
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Job seeker should only be for 6 weeks.... should have to show with proof, the jobs applied for...and front up every week to Centrelink. And take the first job thats offered... Doctors letters have to be produced etc..
Apart from the 6 weeks that is the current requirements. Perhaps verify matters first
 
the rich get richer because they have worked hard and still work. supermarkets supply jobs, supply food and we have to choose wisely when shopping. if you feel so strongly grow your own vegetables.
The attitude of the self entitled

The rich do NOT pay their fair share of taxes
From my experience lowly paid workers work harder and have management bearing down on them all the time. That is not hard work by bosses
 

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