Gillard defends unemployment benefits

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended the government's decision not to
increase the dole after the OECD revealed Australia's unemployed are the poorest in
the developed world.
Some 55 per cent of jobless households in Australia are poor compared with 37 per
cent of unemployed in other developed countries, according to the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development.
Ms Gillard, who is also the employment minister, says Labor chose to spend money on
helping the unemployed back into work rather than increase benefits.
"We think the best thing we can do to assist unemployed Australians is maximise
their prospect of getting work," Ms Gillard told Sky News.
"That's why we acted quickly and decisively to provide economic stimulus to support
jobs during the global recession while building the infrastructure this nation needs
for tomorrow."
The Rudd government increased the aged pension in the May budget because the elderly
were on that amount for "many years", the acting prime minister said.
"With the Newstart Allowance it's a payment for the period people are unemployed
(only) - our aim is to minimise that period of unemployment."
A single unemployed person receives $283.60 a week including rent assistance. That's
$122 below the poverty line.
Welfare advocates say the boost some 3.3 million pensioners are receiving in their
fortnightly payment from this week highlights the rough treatment dished out to the
unemployed.
The National Welfare Rights Network has crunched the numbers and found people
struggling on the dole now have to get by on $5,600 less a year than single
pensioners.