1.1million casual workers to miss out on $1500-a-fortnight JobKeeper payments as government backflips on extending package by $5billion
- JobKeeper gives $1,500 a fortnight to workers stood down due to COVID-19
- Casual workers employed for less than a year are not included in the scheme
- The Labor Party has been calling for a change but government has said no
The government has refused to include more casual workers in the $130billion JobKeeper scheme.
The Labor Party and unions have been calling for casuals employed for less than a year to receive the $1,500-a-fortnight payments.
But the government has insisted that only workers who have been with one business for 12 months are eligible.
The government has refused to include more casual workers in the $130 billion JobKeeper scheme. Pictured: Attorney general Christian Porter
Including 1.1million casuals who have not been employed by one company for a year would have cost around an extra $5 billion over six months.
Casual workers who do no qualify for the scheme will be able to access Centrelink’s enhanced JobSeeker wage of $1,100 a fortnight.
They can also still earn $104 per week without losing the JobSeeker handout.
In a press conference on Sunday, Attorney general Christian Porter hinted that more casuals could be included in JobKeeper, saying ‘we’re working on that, we are listening.’
But on Monday morning Mr Porter revealed the decision had been made not to expand the scheme.
He told Sunrise: ‘You have to have some kind of eligibility definitions, even in a package this enormous.
‘The definition of casual we’ve used is from the Fair Work Act, which talks about a systemic connection to an employer for 12 months.
Parliament will meet with dramatically reduced numbers on Wednesday to pass the JobKeeper payment into law.
Labor has said it will not try to stop the legislation from passing.