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‘There will be additional steps’: Welfare boost set to be included in next week’s budget

Welfare recipients are set to receive a boost to their support payments in next week's federal budget. said today the government will adopt measures called for by the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee (EIAC) in the budget, although didn't say which of the body's 22 recommendations it will implement.One of those recommendations made by the EIAC was to increase the rate of JobSeeker to 90 per cent of the aged pension.

'There will be additional steps': Welfare boost set to be included in next week's budget

People on welfare support could get a boost to their payments in the federal budget. (Kate Geraghty/SMH)That would see JobSeeker jump from the current $762.70 per fortnight for single people up to $1004.67 – a rise of $121 per week or about $17 per day."There will be additional steps in this budget which are conscious of the recommendations that that important, well-regarded, well-informed committee, has put to us," Chalmers said when asked about the timing of any potential JobSeeker increase this morning."We take it seriously. We can't afford to do every recommendation put to us by that committee."In some cases, announcing future directions is warranted. In others, we need to be a bit more careful because we need to be cognisant of the budget situation and what we can afford."We don't want to over-promise and under-deliver when it comes to our most vulnerable people."

'There will be additional steps': Welfare boost set to be included in next week's budget

Jim Chalmers said the government will adopt measures called for by the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. (Alex Ellinghausen/SMH)The EIAC said the government could roll out JobSeeker in stages rather than a single increase, but called on it to commit to a specific timeframe if it went down that path.As of March last year, 740,800 Australians were receiving JobSeeker payments.Some of the other recommendations from the EIAC include increasing rent assistance payments, investing in social and affordable housing for Indigenous people, and overhauling the employment services system.Chalmers' comments today came after he announced net debt will be $152 billion lower than forecast by the previous Coalition government.That would save the country $80 billion in interest payments over the next decade, he said.The federal budget will be handed down next Tuesday.

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