Today in Question Time the Prime Minister refused to acknowledge that more Australians have been forced onto JobSeeker as a result of the Morrison Government’s bungled handling of wage subsidies.
 
The most recent data provided to the Senate’s COVID Committee revealed that 140,000 more Australians are on JobSeeker than the Morrison Government anticipated.
 
The Government expected 1.5 million people would receive JobSeeker by June but new figures show that 1.64 million people are already accessing unemployment benefits.
 
More Australians denied JobKeeper means more Australians on JobSeeker.
 
After his $60 billion blunder the Prime Minister, the PM has celebrated fewer than expected workers joining the JobKeeper scheme, despite too many Australians being left behind.
 
The less done to protect jobs and support vulnerable workers, business and communities in the coming months, the harder and longer the recovery will be.
 
Having introduced support for the economy too narrowly and too slowly, Australians can't afford for the Government to withdraw that support too quickly or too bluntly.
 
Australians have worked together to combat the virus, but more work must be done by the Morrison Government to ensure the hardest-hit Australians are not left out and left behind in the recovery.
 
MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2020