Casual and part-time workers are expected to take the biggest hit from amendments to the JobKeeper subsidy, which will reportedly drop from $1500 a fortnight to $1200 for most recipients after September.
The Australian reports the next phase of the payment system, which was introduced to keep workers on their employer’s payroll through the coronavirus crisis, will be carved into two levels of support.
While the $1500-per-employee subsidy was available to most businesses whose revenue nosedived in recent months, folks in that ‘top’ bracket will reportedly see payments pared to $1200 a fortnight.
Things seem more drastic for those who technically experienced a pay increase thanks to the JobKeeper scheme.
Citing a review of the JobKeeper program, the paper reports that some 900,000 workers, many in casual and part-time roles, saw their average fortnightly paycheque rise to $1500 as a result of the scheme.
No more, The Australian says. The paper reports a “second threshold” will be applied to those workers, adding that tighter eligibility tests are on the way.
The second phase of JobKeeper is slated to last an additional six months after September, on top of the original six month period which kicked off in May.
JobSeeker is also set for a shake-up, too. The Coronavirus Supplement will reportedly continue past September, but will drop from $550 a fortnight.
Expect more details to arrive later today.
Those reported tweaks come after considerable criticism of the JobKeeper scheme’s eligibility requirements.
After it was revealed the Treasury and the Australian Taxation Office over-budgeted for JobKeeper by a cool $60 billion, Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers urged the government to extend the payment to casual workers already excluded from the scheme.
Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, folks.
