KEY POINTS:
- The government will reportedly increase JobSeeker, but only for people aged 55 or over.
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers has refused to confirm the report.
- Younger JobSeeker recipients warn they're being left behind.
Young welfare recipients have accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of "forgetting where he came from", after reports they'll be excluded from any JobSeeker increase.
Welfare advocates have been , after a government report described the $49.50 daily payment as "seriously inadequate" and called for a substantial increase.
But while insisting relief is on the way in next week's budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned that "no government" can satisfy all demands for new spending.
, Mr Chalmers refused to confirm reports a JobSeeker boost will be limited to recipients aged 55 or over.
Jim Chalmers says the government can't make everyone happy. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
And as the government pushes ahead with , one young JobSeeker recipient says securing votes is more important than putting "food in [our] stomachs".
'Forgotten where he came from'
Referencing the difficulties faced by his single mother as he declared victory in the federal election last May, Mr Albanese promised to lead an Australia in which "no one [is] left behind".
Sydney-based Daniel, who preferred not to give his surname, said he took that "at face value" when he voted for Labor, buoyed by Mr Albanese's own experience of growing up in hardship.
"[But] it's very much like he has just pulled the ladder up behind him and forgotten where he's come from," Daniel told SBS News.
"It's crazy because they know what the answer is. It's like [they're saying]: 'We know it's not adequate, and we're just not going to do anything about it'.
"They have to make a choice whether they can they choose to lift people out of this poverty, or they're not. It's really as simple as that."
Anthony Albanese has repeatedly referred to the difficulties faced by his mother. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
His move to an office job was then halted by the onset of a heart condition last year, often leaving him needing two or three weeks off work.
"Obviously, work wasn't that keen on that idea, so I ended up having to resign and basically have been on JobSeeker since then," he said.
"It's really tough. I go to the shop, and even if I just get a loaf of bread and a couple of things, that's $25. That's not getting luxury."
Daniel said his condition has hospitalised him twice in the past three weeks. Unable to afford an MRI scan needed to assess it out of pocket, he's been on a waiting list "for months".
But he described himself as "a lot more privileged than other people" as he lives with his mother, and was blunt on where he would be without her.
"On the street, for sure. By the time I get like the payment in [and] pay for the bare essentials, I'm lucky to have anything left. My mum has bailed me out several times," he said.
'It would mean nutritious food'
Mr Chalmers would "not preempt" budget details on Tuesday, but insisted cost-of-living relief will not "be limited to one cohort or another".
"It is something that concerns us, particularly for women over 55, who find it harder to get back into the workforce," he said.
But pressed on measures to assist young Australians, Mr Chalmers warned no government could satisfy all calls for more spending.
"We understand that there are pressures coming from a range of sources on Australians, young and old. We're cognisant of that, and we'll respond to that," he said.
Louise Nixon, 26, says an increase in the JobSeeker payment would mean she'd be able to afford nutritious food more than once a day. Credit: Supplied
"[It] would be being able to actually afford to have nutritious food multiple times a day," she told SBS News.
"Getting kicked out of his place or having to pay more rent ... won't be such a nightmare scenario."
The Australian Financial Review has reported the same cohort set for a JobSeeker boost is also in line for increased rent assistance next week.
And with South Australia imposing no dollar limit on how much rents can be raised, Ms Nixon was unsure how she'd be able to cope with any extra cost.
"It hasn't been [raised] recently, which makes me kind of a bit nervous. When is it going to happen? It's not like I can find a cheaper place to live," she said.
The costs of the AUKUS deal, JobSeeker and the parenting payment over 10 years. Source: SBS News
And Labor insists it will push ahead with its, set to cost the budget more than $200 billion over ten years.
Ms Nixon said those commitments showed supporting the needy "isn't a priority" for the government.
"Supporting people who have plenty of money [and] making sure their votes are secure is more important than allowing young people to have somewhere to live and have food in their stomachs," she said.
