‘$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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Oh my god We paid our taxes and made this country what it is today we had it bloody hard and now we are paying the price again as we get older.Sack the minister and Hank Jongen how much money are they on.Shame Shame. Jolly
 
The increase is paltry, and so miniscule it may have been better to have no increase.
Just how and who calculates inflation? They must be with the fairies. The government says all is good, the reserve bank says things are bad!
The biggest problem is lack of government action on price gouging. Lack of action is expected from conservatives but this PM should hang his cowardly head in shame.
It would be better for the economy if handouts and price gouging were stopped, and instead large corporates paid a fair share of tax.
You are not necessarily going to get an increase in pension payments each half year. It depends on the formula the govt. uses. It could go down. The previous govt. changed the previous formula which was based on a different set of numbers & used the present formula the data of which gives a lower payment.
 
I wonderful how many struggling working Aussies got a $225.60 pay rise in the same time frame these jobseekers did? And those complaining about the increase in their social housing rent? Consider the increase private renters faced. Instead of minimal increases, the various governments should be concentrating on cutting red tape, getting rid of the excess and unnecessary public service jobs, put on actual employees instead of contracting everything out to private companies and stop relying on charities and volunteers to do their job for them. It's pretty hard for working families who pay $600 a week in rent, $1200 a quarter for electricity etc to sympathise with those in public housing.
Yr electricity bill is horrendous!
I’m single, on Disability pension & got my electricity bill down to $48-$52 month; gas bill to $56mth.
Not in public housing, just an old 2bd flat.
 
You are lucky you were in a position to do this, not everyone is!
Bloody MEN copped it Very Lucky w superannuation! Not only hv they had it frm the start but they were & still are ALWAYS PAID MORE than females!
Females only started getting Superannuation in 1991 !!
Tell that piece of truth to the snivelling young whingers bleating about how good the Boomers had it.
NOT if you were & are a woman!!
So many women hv no “Super” at all, or piddling amounts well under the $200K mark. And Banks hv always hated women who until 1969 were not permitted to own property - she was a CHATTEL if her husband.
The single women were regarded as defective spinsters - and the banks still treat us that way now!!
 
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I couldn't believe the pathetic increase. Inflation hasn't reduced THAT much over the last 6 months, surely!?

Pension = $1,149 currently.

If real inflation is, say, around 3%, then that equals $34.47 per year or $17.23 for 6 month increase.

Even if inflation is bit lower, $3.51 or so increase isn't even close 🙄

Am I missing something???

Plus comparable increases to rental and utility subsidies
 
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Why go off at the supermarkets its the manufacturers that are doing the shrinking of the packages not the supermarkets
 
I wonderful how many struggling working Aussies got a $225.60 pay rise in the same time frame these jobseekers did? And those complaining about the increase in their social housing rent? Consider the increase private renters faced. Instead of minimal increases, the various governments should be concentrating on cutting red tape, getting rid of the excess and unnecessary public service jobs, put on actual employees instead of contracting everything out to private companies and stop relying on charities and volunteers to do their job for them. It's pretty hard for working families who pay $600 a week in rent, $1200 a quarter for electricity etc to sympathise with those in public housing.
Define what is an unnecessary public servant!
 
I did a grocery shop this morning and the total was $162.75. This total did not include any meat, fruit or vegetables. I did buy a few frozen meals as I find they are cheaper when on sale. I also bought milk, bread cereal cheese and yoghurt and a few cleaning necessities. I hate to think what the total would have been if I needed to buy the essential meat,fruit and vegetables.
 
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You are not necessarily going to get an increase in pension payments each half year. It depends on the formula the govt. uses. It could go down. The previous govt. changed the previous formula which was based on a different set of numbers & used the present formula the data of which gives a lower payment.
 
That is incorrect. Independents made Albo introduce some changes to calculating increases
 
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GIVE ALBO - THE ELBOW
And nuclear will be cheaper? Dutton wants to reduce electricity generation capacity, so we will have more expensive energy with frequent blackouts. Arrival date of nuclear energy will be after we get nuclear subs, which I suspect will be never
 
"Strong social safety net" and increases "need to be handled responsibly"? Who is the minister kidding? Absolutely out of touch. Everyone in Canberra should be made to live on the pension or jobseeker payment for six months. Without any assistance of any kind.
You are making big assumptions about Canberrans, have you even ever been there?
 
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This has got to be a bad joke. What can you buy for such a paltry som of money. It looks lala land has once again snubbed its collective nose at all those on social welfare. As for the opposition minister for employment, would you rather we all worked till we dropped dead instead of retiring and going on the pension? You politicians have absolutely no idea how stressful you lot have made our lives, while you enjoy the best things in life. How many of you are prepared to live below the poverty line for one week? None I’ll bet.
 
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