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Longer welfare wait times for migrants would affect 66,000 families
Cerberus1 posted a topic in Aussie Chat
A plan to make migrants wait four years before accessing welfare benefits would affect 66,000 families. Tens of thousands of families would be hit by a proposal to make migrants wait four years before accessing a range of welfare benefits. Legislation already before parliament seeks to push the welfare waiting period for newly-arrived migrants from two to three years, in a measure expected to save $1.3 billion. The federal government is now proposing to stretch the wait times for migrants out to four years from July 1. The extra squeeze on migrants is expected to save an additional $200 million. The government predicts 66,000 migrant families will be forced to wait longer for tax benefits, and 47,000 people will be impacted by the freeze on access to Newstart, Youth Allowance and other payments. Social Services Department officials say the two cohorts are not mutually exclusive, with some migrant families tapping into other welfare payments. Department officer Shane Bennett played down concerns the proposal would prove a disincentive to migration. "There is evidence from the OECD that reflects access to social security systems is not necessarily high on the factors people consider," Mr Bennett told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday. "There is also a Productivity Commission report from 2016 that shows non-humanitarian permanent migrants had effectively lower take-up rates of income support to the general population." Migrant and community groups have pushed back hard against moves to extend welfare wait times, fearing it could force some new arrivals into destitution and poverty. Exemptions will continue to apply for vulnerable groups and humanitarian entrants, while hardship provisions also will also remain in place. Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/longer-welfare-wait-times-for-migrants-would-affect-66-000-families -
Just wondering...... Not that we are pinning our hopes on getting benefit when we land in Oz... ...but just looking on centrelink website, can anyone tell me: When we arrive in QLD with our permanent resident 175 visas, would we be eligible for newstart benefit or would we be subject to the two year newly arrived residents waiting period? We have no children and would be renting, but we would have a lump sum in the bank. Just wondering out of a matter of interest, as I always thought you couldn't claim benefit for the 1st 2 years. :huh:
