Australia – Universal Basic Income
A majority of Australians would welcome a universal basic income, survey finds
Dec 11, 2020 – Nearly two-thirds of Australians say they would support the introduction of a universal basic income (UBI), according to a new poll. The finding comes after millions of Australians were forced to rely on some kind of regular welfare payment this year to survive the COVID recession.
> abc.net.au/most-australians-welcome-universal-basic-income
Study argues for basic annual income of $18,500 for all workers
Oct 26, 2020 – Massive unemployment queues and cracks in Australia’s welfare system have highlighted the need for a basic income support system, a new study has claimed. Conducted by researchers at Macquarie University, Australian National University and the University of Sydney, the study explored the possibility of replacing JobSeeker and Youth Allowance with government payments to most people of working age.
> thenewdaily.com.au/universal-basic-income-australia
There is a way to eradicate poverty in Australia, writes Adrian McMahon. We just need the will
Oct 11, 2020 – TWO STATISTICS present a contradictory picture of Australian society. The first is that 86% of Australians agree with the statement that ‘nobody deserves to live in poverty’. The second is that 13.6% of the Australian population lives in poverty (3.2 million people) — including 17.7% of children under the age of 15 (774,000 children).
The statistic of 13.6% living in poverty is for 2017-18 — the latest year of available data. It would be higher now, given there are more unemployed people relying on JobSeeker and the JobSeeker payment remains below the poverty line, following a temporary rise out of poverty from April to September 2020.
> independentaustralia.net/make-poverty-history-this-time