Women leaders call for JobSeeker boost to promote women’s safety
More than 200 women leaders including from business, unions, philanthropy, academia and the community sector (including MWRC CEO, Emily Carter AM) have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging him to provide economic security for women leaving violence by raising the rate of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance.
Read the excerpt below, or the full statement HERE
"Fixing the adequacy of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance to deliver basic economic security for women cannot wait.
For First Nations women, for women from diverse backgrounds, for women from all backgrounds, the impacts of poverty on the ability to leave violence and live in safety is profound.
No one should be forced to live in poverty. The evidence is clear: a key reason that women are unable to leave violence is because they do not have economic security.
The Escaping Violence Payment only provides an upfront cash payment of up to $1,500, with the remaining $3,500 provided by way of goods and services. To find safety, women need to know they will have basic economic security over the longer term.
Lifting social security payments will not negate the need to invest in frontline services and take the other critical steps to achieve women’s safety. However, it is a core part of ensuring women can do what they need to do in order to be safe." #RaiseTheRateForGood
- Marnin Admin
