8 May 2023
Today’s announcement that Parenting Payment Single will be expanded to single parents whose youngest child is aged up to 14 is incredibly welcome.
ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie said:
“Restoration of Parenting Payment was a key recommendation of the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce.
“Lifting the age of the youngest child to 14 will be life-changing for the 57,000 single parents who will benefit, most of whom are women currently receiving the inadequate JobSeeker Payment because their children have had their 8th birthday.
“Single parents should never have lost access to Parenting Payment, which resulted in them caring for school-aged children on an income well below the poverty line.
“We congratulate single parents, Single Mother Families Australia and the many others who have long fought for fairer income support.
“While today’s announcement is excellent and very welcome news for the 57,000 single parents who will benefit, 860,000 people will remain on JobSeeker, including 28,000 single parents.
“We need to ensure that everyone – single parents, people with disability, people with chronic illness, people looking for paid work, students, people who are caring – have enough to cover the basics.
“On the $50 a day JobSeeker Payment or the $40 a day Youth Allowance, you cannot cover essential costs.
“This will not change unless the Government acts and substantially lifts these essential income supports.”