Income Support and Social Security

Income support to get through tough times and real help to find a job

Raising the rate to ensure people get the support they need to get through tough times. 

Australia’s income support system should help people to get through tough times and provide support for people without paid work. The income support payment for people looking for employment, JobSeeker, should be enough to cover the basics so that people can focus on finding a job, rather than dealing with financial crisis. 

Similarly, the payment for young people looking for work, studying or both, Youth Allowance, needs to be enough for young people to study and find employment without worrying about where their next meal will come from or how they will pay for rent. 

More than 1.5 million people receive income support payments like JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and other related supports. They include young people making the transition from study to employment, single parents and older people trying to find a job after taking time out of the workforce to care.. 

Currently, our income support system is not working because the rates of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance fall short of all measures of adequacy, leaving people receiving them without enough money to cover food, housing, healthcare and utilities. . 

JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and related supports must be increased to the same level as the pension so that  people can get on with their lives without having to juggle debts and lose sleep worrying about how to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head. 

Raise The Rate For Good Campaign

We’re a community of over 20,000 people working to ensure everyone has enough to cover the basics.

People with lived experience of the income support system are at the heart of our campaign, working to lead political and social change. 

We mobilise the power of our community to hold our leaders accountable, build an evidence base, and share our stories to change the narrative of poverty in Australia.

Together, we work alongside allies from community organisations, anti-poverty networks, unions, business groups, academics, and not-for-profit organisations to build an undeniable call for action.

Learn more here
Income support and social security publications

Raise the Rate Report 2026

September 2026

JobSeeker adequacy, wages and other incomes in the community 2026

June 2026