In a budget which promised to help ease the cost of living for Australians, some welfare advocates believe the government has fallen short, offering a short-term solution to deep structural problems.
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The 2022 Federal Budget, handed down on Tuesday night by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, includes a one-off $250 cash payment for roughly six million people, including welfare recipients and pensioners.
Wagga St Vincent de Paul president Peter Burgess said this is a bandaid solution and won't go very far in addressing stagnant wages, mortgage stress or the number of people living close to the poverty line.
"People are facing long-term problems in terms of their finances and giving people a $250 bonus ... a week before the election, or a promise of it after the election, isn't addressing what's going to be happening to people in six months time or 12 months time, or even five years time," he said.
"It's all short-term stuff."
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Chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service, Cassandra Goldie, said while the budget doubled the government's home guarantee scheme to 50,000 places per year, there are few measures that actively address the country's housing crisis.
"There is no social housing investment in this budget, when we absolutely need it," she said.
Mr Burgess said investing in social housing is vital to "take the sting out of the rental market", creating more housing for those on low incomes and allowing more properties to be bought and sold.
He said Wagga's rental market is tight not just for those that St Vincent de Paul's assists but for most renters, with bidding for rentals becoming more common.
"Investing in social housing and giving people enough money in a social welfare sense to survive would impact a lot of society and make life [easier], I don't think just for the most needy but I really think it would flow on for all of us," Mr Burgess said.
The $250 payments come as social security and welfare payments in the upcoming financial year are set to drop by almost six percent.
This is largely due to the COVID-19 disaster payments ending and the jobless rate improving.
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