Updated 8 September 2020
PDF version [546KB]
Michael
Klapdor
Social Policy Section
Executive
summary
- This Statistical Snapshot updates a previous version published 14
July 2020. The previous version provided estimates of the number of JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipients by electorate. This update
reports administrative data which uses the address details of each recipient to
determine their Commonwealth Electoral Division.
- In the period December 2019 to July 2020, the number of people in
receipt of the main income support payments for the unemployed almost doubled—from
around 820,000 to 1,620,000.
- The main unemployment-related income support payments are
JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other). JobSeeker Payment replaced
Newstart Allowance and a number of other payments on 20 March 2020.
- Job losses and reduced working hours resulting from government
measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus have been the main driver of
the increase in income support recipients.
- A number of other factors have also affected recipient numbers
including policy changes to expand eligibility for payments in response to
COVID-19, the economic impact of the 2019–20 bushfires in many parts of
Australia, and the introduction of the JobKeeper Payment (a wage subsidy).
- Increases in the number of JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance
(Other) recipients have varied significantly between electorates. Electorates
in south-east Queensland, western Sydney and Melbourne’s west have seen some of
the largest increases in the total number of recipients of these payments.
- These electorates also saw a significant increase in the
percentage of the estimated working age population receiving JobSeeker Payment
and Youth Allowance (Other).
- Electorates in Sydney’s eastern and northern suburbs, as well as
Melbourne’s eastern suburbs have seen the largest percentage increases, but are
coming off a low base of recipient numbers prior to 2020.
- This Statistical Snapshot sets out a time-series of JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipient number estimates in each
electorate for the period December 2019 to June 2020.
Contents
Executive summary
Introduction
Notes on the data
JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance
(Other)
JobSeeker Payment
Youth Allowance (Other)
COVID-19 Economic Response measures
Changes to the Economic Response
measures
Impact of COVID-19 on recipient
numbers
Table 1: selected income support
payment recipients, December 2019–June 2020
Table 2: JobKeeper Payment rates from
28 September 2020 to March 2021, per fortnight
Impact by state and territory
Table 3: Newstart Allowance, Sickness
Allowance, JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipients by state or
territory, December 2019–June 2020
Impact by electorate
Table 4: electorates with the largest
increase in the number of JobSeeker Payment recipients from December 2019 to
June 2020
Table 5: electorates with the largest
percentage increase in JobSeeker Payment recipients from December 2019 to June
2020
Table 6: electorates with the largest
increase in the number of Youth Allowance (Other) recipients from December 2019
to June 2020
Table 7: electorates with the largest
percentage increase in Youth Allowance (Other) recipients from December 2019 to
June 2020
Table 8: electorates with the largest
increase in the percentage of the population aged 15–64 in receipt of either
JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance (Other) from December 2019 to June 2020
Table 9: electorates with the largest
percentage of the population aged 15–64 in receipt of either JobSeeker Payment
or Youth Allowance (Other) in December 2019 and June 2020
Changes by electorate
Table 10: Newstart Allowance and
Sickness Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, and Youth Allowance (Other) recipients
by Commonwealth Electoral Division, December 2019–June 2020
Introduction
In the period December 2019 to July 2020,
the number of people in receipt of the main income support payments for the
unemployed almost doubled—from around 820,000 to 1,620,000.[1]
The main reasons for the increase are the COVID-19 pandemic, the social
distancing measures and restrictions on businesses and services put in place by
Australian governments in response to the pandemic, the job losses that have
resulted, and temporary changes to social security to allow more people access
to income support.
This Statistical Snapshot examines the impact these measures
have had on income support recipient numbers by Commonwealth Electoral Division
(CED) (electorate). A previous version of this paper made estimates for the
impact on electorates for the period to May 2020 using data on recipients by
Statistical Area 2 (SA2) published by the Department of Social Services (DSS).[2]
This update uses actual electorate location data for payment recipients
provided by DSS to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 for the period to
June 2020.[3]
This Statistical Snapshot provides summary information on
the main income support payments for the unemployed, key changes to these
payments made as part of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19, and
an analysis of which electorates have been most affected by changes in income
support recipient numbers.
Notes on the
data
The previous version of this Statistical Snapshot was based
on estimates of the number of recipients in each electorate derived from the
SA2 data published in each DSS ‘JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance
recipients monthly profile’ report using population correspondences created by
the Parliamentary Library (based on small area population data from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)).[4]
This update reports administrative data which uses the address details of each
recipient to determine their Commonwealth Electoral Division. This data was not
available when the first Statistical Snapshot was published.
The estimates published in the previous version using SA2
data for JobSeeker Payment in May 2020 were within 0–3 per cent of the actual
numbers provided by DSS to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19. On average,
the estimates for JobSeeker Payment were 0.05 per cent different from the
actuals and the estimates for Youth Allowance (Other) were 0.04 per cent different
from the actuals. For JobSeeker Payment, the electorates with the largest
differences between the estimates and actuals (2.4–3.1 per cent) were
Maribyrnong, Wright, Greenway and Warringah.
The use of actual data for electorates as at June 2020
instead of estimates as at May 2020 has not significantly affected the
electorates considered to have experienced the biggest changes in recipient
numbers since December 2019 (Tables 4–9 below). However, the order of the
electorates in those tables has changed in some cases compared to the previous
version. There are two differences in the electorates listed for two tables:
- the ten electorates with the largest percentage increase in Youth
Allowance (Other) recipients (Table 7 below)—the NSW seat of Barton is listed
while the similar table in the previous version included the Victorian seat of
Menzies and
-
the ten electorates with the largest increase in the percentage
of the population aged 15–64 in receipt of either JobSeeker Payment or Youth
Allowance (Other) from December 2019 to June 2020 (Table 8 below)—the
Queensland seat of Rankin is listed while the similar table in the previous version
included the Queensland seat of Fairfax.
In both cases, the seats no longer listed were just outside
the list of the ten most affected according to those measures.
The source for Estimated Resident Population aged 15–64 (used
for Tables 8 and 9) is the ABS and is for June 2018 (latest available).[5]
JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance (Other)
JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) are the main
income support payments for those aged 16–65 who are able to work but who do
not have the means to support themselves. Other payments may be made to working
age people in certain circumstances including:
- Parenting Payment for those caring for young children
- Disability Support Pension for those unable to work due to a
permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition and
- Carer Payment for those who provide constant care for someone
with a severe disability or illness, or for a frail aged adult.
JobSeeker
Payment
JobSeeker Payment is the new name for Newstart Allowance and
commenced on 20 March 2020.[6]
Two other payments with a small number of recipients have been merged into
JobSeeker Payment: Sickness Allowance and Bereavement Allowance.[7]
JobSeeker Payment is paid to those aged between 22 and Age
Pension age. It is paid to those looking for work or who are sick or injured
and temporarily unable to do their normal work or study. Some JobSeeker Payment
recipients are exempt from job search requirements or may have different kinds
of activity requirements. This includes people with an illness or a disability
that limits their ability to work, those caring for dependent children, and
those aged 55 or older. To be eligible, an individual must normally meet
residency requirements and income and assets tests.[8]
The maximum payment rate for JobSeeker Payment—including the
Energy Supplement paid to all recipients—is $574.50 per fortnight for a single
person with no children or $518.70 per fortnight for a partnered person (other
payment rates apply in certain circumstances and additional supplements may be
payable).[9]
For the period 27 April 2020 to 24 September 2020, all JobSeeker Payment
recipients also receive the Coronavirus Supplement worth $550 per fortnight.[10]
From 25 September the rate of the supplement will be reduced to $250 per
fortnight, before ceasing on 31 December 2020.[11]
Youth
Allowance (Other)
Youth Allowance (Other)—that is, Youth Allowance for those
other than full-time students or apprentices—is paid to those aged between 16
and 21 who are looking for full time work, studying part-time and looking for
work, or temporarily unable to work.[12]
It includes similar job search and activity requirements as JobSeeker Payment.
Eligibility is also dependent on a person meeting residency requirements and
income and assets tests. Those not considered independent from their parents or
carers also need to meet a parental means test.[13]
The maximum payment rate for Youth Allowance
(Other)—including the Energy Supplement paid to all recipients—for a single
person aged 18 or over who lives at their parent’s home is $309.20 per
fortnight or $469.50 per fortnight for a partnered person with no children
(other payment rates apply in certain circumstances and additional supplements
may be payable).[14]
For the period 27 April 2020 to 24 September 2020, all Youth Allowance
recipients will receive the Coronavirus Supplement worth $550 per fortnight.[15]
From 25 September the rate of the supplement will be reduced to $250 per
fortnight, before ceasing on 31 December 2020.[16]
COVID-19 Economic
Response measures
In March 2020 the Government announced a number of temporary
changes to JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) in response to
COVID-19 which increased the number of people eligible for these payments and
which will have had an impact on the number of recipients. The changes
announced in March 2020 include:
- expanding eligibility to provide access to sole traders and other
self-employed people; permanent employees who have been stood down or who lost
their job; and, people who are caring for someone affected by COVID-19
- waiving the assets test
- waiving the ordinary waiting period, liquid assets waiting
period, newly arrived residents waiting period and the seasonal workers
preclusion period and
- making the partner income test more generous by lowering the
amount payment rates are reduced by as a result of partner income.[17]
Most of these changes apply from 25 March 2020 until at
least 24 September 2020.[18]
In addition, some temporary changes have been made to make
the claims process easier including no longer requiring Employment Separation
Certificates, proof of rental arrangements or the verification of a person’s relationship
status. These changes also apply for the period 25 March to 24 September 2020.[19]
As noted above, for the period 27 April 2020 to 24 September
2020, all JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance recipients will receive the
Coronavirus Supplement worth $550 per fortnight. This amount is not included in
the income-tested rate component so the supplement does not expand eligibility.
That is, the supplement does not increase the income-test cut-off point. If an
individual is eligible for even one dollar of the standard JobSeeker Payment
rate under the income test, they will receive the full amount of the
Coronavirus Supplement. The Coronavirus Supplement is also being paid to a
number of other payments including Parenting Payment, student payments, Special
Benefit and the Farm Household Allowance.[20]
Changes to
the Economic Response measures
On 21 July 2020 Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer
Josh Frydenberg and Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston announced
changes to some of the income support measures outlined above:[21]
- the expanded eligibility criteria, ordinary waiting period
waiver, newly arrived residents waiting period waiver and seasonal worker
preclusion period waiver will remain in place until 31 December 2020
-
the liquid assets waiting period and assets test waiver will end
on 25 September 2020
-
the more generous partner income test will remain in place until
31 December 2020 but in a modified form
- the Coronavirus Supplement amount will be reduced from $550 per
fortnight to $250 per fortnight from 25 September to 31 December 2020.[22]
Further to these changes, the Government announced a new
measure to allow recipients of JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) to
earn more private income before their payment rate is reduced under the income
test. From 25 September to 31 December 2020, the income-free area (the amount
of income a person can earn before their payment rate is reduced) will increase
from $106 per fortnight for JobSeeker Payment and $143 for Youth Allowance
(Other) to $300 per fortnight. A person’s fortnightly payment rate will be
reduced by 60 cents for each dollar of income over $300.[23]
This measure will allow these payment recipients to earn
more income before having their payment rate reduced and will increase the
income cut-off point at which a person’s JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance
(Other) rate reaches zero under the income test.
Impact of
COVID-19 on recipient numbers
As at 27 December 2019, there were 733,704 recipients of
Newstart Allowance, Sickness Allowance and Bereavement Allowance. As at 31 July
2020, there were 1,450,265 recipients of JobSeeker Payment, the payment that
replaced these allowances.[24]
This represents an increase of 716,561 or 97.7 per cent. On 27 December 2019,
there were 85,316 Youth Allowance (Other) recipients and on 31 July there were 171,248
(an increase of 85,932 or 100.7 per cent).[25]
Combined, the total number of recipients of these payments increased from
around 820,000 to around 1,620,000.
Table 1 sets out the number of recipients of the main
working-age income support payments at selected points from 27 December 2019 to
26 June 2020.[26]
The sources for this data are DSS data reports and Answers
to Questions on Notice from the Senate COVID-19 Committee. Data for Austudy in
May is only available for 22 May, a week prior to the extraction dates for the
other payments.
Table 1: selected
income support payment recipients, December 2019–June 2020
| Payment |
27/12/2019 |
28/02/2020 |
27/03/2020 |
24/04/2020 |
29/05/2020 |
26/06/2020 |
| Austudy |
27 634 |
29 748 |
33 000 |
35 205 |
38 8071 |
41 391 |
| Carer Payment |
284 252 |
286 773 |
290 126 |
292 766 |
294 191 |
294 274 |
| Disability Support Pension |
751 773 |
752 047 |
752 191 |
753 336 |
754 201 |
754 181 |
| JobSeeker Payment |
|
|
792 814 |
1 221 419 |
1 463 863 |
1 441 287 |
| Newstart Allowance |
728 405 |
724 628 |
|
|
|
|
| Parenting Payment Partnered |
68 087 |
67 971 |
67 552 |
70 494 |
89 680 |
92 022 |
| Parenting Payment Single |
228 606 |
228 794 |
230 702 |
233 618 |
242 689 |
243 433 |
| Youth Allowance (Other) |
85 316 |
85 736 |
93 399 |
121 617 |
171 423 |
173 125 |
| Youth Allowance (Student and Apprentice) |
134 456 |
157 145 |
168 997 |
184 301 |
213 547 |
225 483 |
| Combined Newstart Allowance2 |
733 704 |
730 136 |
|
|
|
|
| Combined JobSeeker Payment2 |
|
|
797 941 |
1 224 555 |
1 472 678 |
1 441 293 |
(1) Austudy data is for 22 May 2020.
(2) Recipients of Combined Newstart Allowance and
Combined JobSeeker Payment include recipients of Bereavement Allowance and
Sickness Allowance as these payments have been subsumed into JobSeeker Payment.
A small number of Sickness Allowance and Bereavement Allowance recipients were
still to transfer to JobSeeker Payment during the period March–June.
Note: data is for recipients who are entitled to be
paid at the point in time. Newstart Allowance and JobSeeker Payment numbers
exclude those who have a zero-rate of payment.
Sources: Department of Social
Services (DSS), ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020;
DSS, ‘JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance recipients
monthly profile: June 2020’,
data.gov.au website, last updated 17 July 2020; Senate Select Committee on
COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the Department of Social
Services, Question reference number SQ20-000453, Question reference number SQ20-000474, Question reference number SQ20-000487.
Job losses and reduced working hours resulting from
government measures to limit the spread of the virus have, undoubtedly, been
the main driver of the increase in income support recipients. However, a number
of other factors will have affected the growth in recipient numbers since
December 2019:
- policy changes to expand eligibility for payments in response to
COVID-19
- the economic impact of the 2019–20 bushfires in many parts of
Australia and
- the introduction of the JobKeeper Payment (a wage subsidy).
The introduction of the JobKeeper Payment will have reduced
the number of people claiming social security payments by providing income to eligible
individuals who have been stood down or who have had their working hours
reduced, as well as subsidising the wages of businesses facing a downturn in
revenue.
The JobKeeper Payment was announced on 30 March 2020 and
provides $1,500 per fortnight to eligible employees paid through their
employer.[27]
The JobKeeper Payment is considered income for the purposes of the social
security income test. This means that most people would be ineligible to
receive both JobKeeper Payment and a social security payment at the same time.[28]
However, some groups, including single parents, those aged 60 or over and some
pensioners may be eligible to receive JobKeeper Payment and a part-rate social
security payment.[29]
This will depend on their specific circumstances such as whether they have any
other sources of income.
On 21 July 2020, the Government announced changes to
JobKeeper Payment which will apply from 28 September.[30]
The changes include a two-tiered payment with a higher rate of payment for
eligible employees working more than 20 hours per week. The payment rates will
also be reduced with the new applicable rates set out in Table 2. The reduced
JobKeeper Payment rates and changes to the JobSeeker Payment and Youth
Allowance (Other) income test may see an increase in the number of people in
receipt of both JobKeeper Payment and social security.
Table 2:
JobKeeper Payment rates from 28 September 2020 to March 2021, per fortnight
| Date |
Full rate |
<20hrs work per week
rate |
| 28 September 2020 to
3 January 2021 |
$1 200 |
$750 |
| 4 January 2021 to
28 March 2021 |
$1 000 |
$650 |
Source:
S Morrison (Prime Minister), J Frydenberg (Treasurer) and A Ruston (Minister
for Families and Social Services), JobKeeper payment and income support extended, media release, 21 July 2020.
Impact by
state and territory
There have been significant differences in terms of the
growth in recipient numbers in different states and territories. New South
Wales, Victoria and Queensland have seen the largest increases in the total
number of recipients and high percentage increases from December 2019 to June
2020. While the Australian Capital Territory has had the largest percentage
increase in recipient numbers this comes off a very low base in December 2019.
Table 3 sets out the change in recipient numbers for Newstart Allowance,
Sickness Allowance and Youth Allowance (Other) in December 2019 and for
JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) from March 2020.
Table 3: Newstart
Allowance, Sickness Allowance, JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other)
recipients by state or territory, December 2019–June 2020
| State or territory |
Dec 2019 |
Mar 2020 |
Apr 2020 |
May 2020 |
Jun 2020 |
Difference Dec-19 to Jun-20 |
% change Dec-19 to Jun-20 |
| NSW |
225 900 |
246 745 |
385 307 |
476 784 |
470 253 |
+244 353 |
+108% |
| Vic. |
179 049 |
194 745 |
312 895 |
389 229 |
384 126 |
+205 077 |
+115% |
| Qld. |
191 903 |
211 563 |
317 217 |
379 687 |
375 034 |
+183 131 |
+95% |
| SA |
73 738 |
78 839 |
108 145 |
126 375 |
124 942 |
+51 204 |
+69% |
| WA |
98 318 |
106 038 |
148 956 |
181 348 |
178 913 |
+80 595 |
+82% |
| Tas. |
24 561 |
25 963 |
34 322 |
39 857 |
39 514 |
+14 953 |
+61% |
| NT |
18 656 |
19 960 |
23 744 |
26 369 |
26 283 |
+7 627 |
+41% |
| ACT |
6 600 |
7 191 |
11 940 |
14 858 |
14 652 |
+8 052 |
+122% |
| Total |
818 893 |
891 219 |
1 343 036 |
1 635 286 |
1 614 412 |
+816 393 |
+97% |
Notes: December 2019 is the total number
of recipients of Newstart Allowance, Sickness Allowance and Youth Allowance
(Other). March 2020 is the total number of recipients of JobSeeker Payment,
Sickness Allowance and Youth Allowance (Other). April 2020–June 2020 is the
total number of recipients of JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other).
Data is point-in-time for the last Friday of the month.
Sources: DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; DSS,
‘DSS Demographics March 2020’, data.gov.au website, last updated 27 July 2020; DSS,
‘JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance recipients
monthly profile: May 2020’,
data.gov.au website, last updated 19 June 2020; DSS, ‘JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance recipients
monthly profile: June 2020’,
data.gov.au website, last updated 17 July 2020.
Impact by
electorate
The impact of COVID-19 (and the other factors described
above) on JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipient numbers has
varied significantly between electorates. There are different ways of assessing
the impact: increases in the total number of recipients, percentage increases
and changes in the percentage of the working-age population receiving payments.
This section assesses the impact on different electorates using each of these
methods.
In terms of increases in the total number of JobSeeker
Payment recipients, Coalition-held electorates in south-east Queensland and
Labor-held electorates in western Sydney and Melbourne’s west have seen very
large increases in recipient numbers, alongside Richmond in the north-east
corner of New South Wales, Leichardt in far north Queensland and the
Greens-held inner-city electorate of Melbourne. Table 4 sets out the ten
electorates which saw the largest increase in recipient numbers of Newstart
Allowance and Sickness Allowance in December 2019, to JobSeeker Payment in June
2020.
The lowest increases in total numbers were in the ACT and
Tasmanian electorates; the NSW electorates of Parkes, Berowra and Riverina; and
Capricornia in Queensland.
Table 4:
electorates with the largest increase in the number of JobSeeker Payment
recipients from December 2019 to June 2020
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
Newstart and Sickness
Allowance–Dec 2019 |
JobSeeker Payment–Jun 2020 |
Difference Dec 19
to Jun 2020 |
% change Dec 19 to Jun
20 |
| Moncrieff |
Qld. |
LNP |
5 951 |
14 895 |
+8 944 |
+150.3% |
| Calwell |
Vic. |
ALP |
8 422 |
16 505 |
+8 083 |
+96.0% |
| Fadden |
Qld. |
LNP |
5 640 |
13 586 |
+7 946 |
+140.9% |
| Blaxland |
NSW |
ALP |
6 446 |
14 295 |
+7 849 |
+121.8% |
| Lalor |
Vic. |
ALP |
5 468 |
13 193 |
+7 725 |
+141.3% |
| Watson |
NSW |
ALP |
4 955 |
12 488 |
+7 533 |
+152.0% |
| Leichhardt |
Qld. |
LNP |
9 755 |
17 144 |
+7 389 |
+75.7% |
| Melbourne |
Vic. |
GRN |
4 473 |
11 824 |
+7 351 |
+164.3% |
| Richmond |
NSW |
ALP |
6 410 |
13 728 |
+7 318 |
+114.2% |
| McPherson |
Qld. |
LNP |
3 977 |
11 270 |
+7 293 |
+183.4% |
Sources: DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486.
In terms of percentage increases, the electorates that have experienced
the biggest change in JobSeeker Payment numbers are primarily Coalition-held
electorates in Sydney’s east and north, and Melbourne’s inner-east (the
exception is the Sydney seat of Warringah held by Independent MP Zali Steggall).
These electorates are relatively wealthy and had few payment recipients prior
to COVID-19. Hence, the large percentage increases are from a much lower base
than other electorates. These electorates should not be considered the most
affected by COVID-19—the actual increase in recipient numbers is much less than
other electorates. The percentage increases do show that even prosperous areas
have been affected.
Table 5 sets out the ten electorates which saw the largest percentage
increase in recipient numbers of Newstart Allowance and Sickness Allowance in
December 2019, to JobSeeker Payment in June 2020.
The lowest percentage increases were primarily in
electorates which already had a relatively high number of income support
recipients including Lingiari in the Northern Territory, Parkes and New England
in New South Wales, Grey and Spence in South Australia, and Durack in Western
Australia. The Tasmanian electorates of Bass and Braddon also saw below-50% increases
in JobSeeker Payment recipients between December 2019 and June 2020.
Table 5:
electorates with the largest percentage increase in JobSeeker Payment
recipients from December 2019 to June 2020
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
Newstart and Sickness
Allowance–Dec 2019 |
JobSeeker Payment–Jun
2020 |
Difference Dec 19 to Jun
20 |
% change – Dec 19 to Jun
20 |
| Wentworth |
NSW |
LP |
1 090 |
5 429 |
+4 339 |
+398.1% |
| Warringah |
NSW |
IND |
1 031 |
4 539 |
+3 508 |
+340.3% |
| North Sydney |
NSW |
LP |
1 080 |
4 694 |
+3 615 |
+334.8% |
| Bradfield |
NSW |
LP |
977 |
4 180 |
+3 204 |
+328.1% |
| Mackellar |
NSW |
LP |
1 256 |
5 049 |
+3 793 |
+302.0% |
| Kooyong |
Vic. |
LP |
1 212 |
4 619 |
+3 407 |
+281.1% |
| Mitchell |
NSW |
LP |
1 328 |
5 030 |
+3 702 |
+278.8% |
| Berowra |
NSW |
LP |
1 137 |
4 027 |
+2 890 |
+254.2% |
| Reid |
NSW |
LP |
2 217 |
7 796 |
+5 579 |
+251.6% |
| Higgins |
Vic. |
LP |
1 766 |
6 135 |
+4 369 |
+247.4% |
Sources: DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486.
The largest increases in the total number of Youth Allowance
(Other) recipients occurred in similar areas to JobSeeker Payment: south-east
Queensland, the north-east New South Wales seat of Richmond, and Chifley in
western Sydney. Table 6 sets out the ten electorates which saw the largest
increase in Youth Allowance (Other) recipient numbers from December 2019 to June
2020.
Table 6:
electorates with the largest increase in the number of Youth Allowance (Other)
recipients from December 2019 to June 2020
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
Dec 2019 |
Jun 2020 |
Difference Dec 19
to Jun 20 |
% change – Dec 19 to Jun
20 |
| Fadden |
Qld. |
LNP |
660 |
1
819 |
+1
159 |
+175.6% |
| Forde |
Qld. |
LNP |
1 032 |
2
132 |
+1
100 |
+106.6% |
| Moncrieff |
Qld. |
LNP |
571 |
1
665 |
+1
094 |
+191.6% |
| Leichhardt |
Qld. |
LNP |
1 194 |
2
288 |
+1
094 |
+91.6% |
| Richmond |
NSW |
ALP |
614 |
1
660 |
+1
046 |
+170.4% |
| Chifley |
NSW |
ALP |
749 |
1
791 |
+1
042 |
+139.1% |
| Longman |
Qld. |
LNP |
1 175 |
2
209 |
+1
034 |
+88.0% |
| McPherson |
Qld. |
LNP |
389 |
1
386 |
+997 |
+256.3% |
| Fisher |
Qld. |
LNP |
636 |
1
628 |
+992 |
+156.0% |
| Blair |
Qld. |
ALP |
1 380 |
2
365 |
+985 |
+71.4% |
Sources:
DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486.
In terms of percentage increases, the electorates which have
seen the biggest change are also primarily Coalition-held seats in Sydney’s
east and north, the Labor-held seat of Barton and the Independent-held seat of
Warringah (also in Sydney). These electorates all had relatively few Youth
Allowance (Other) recipients in December 2019. The increase in the total number
of recipients in these electorates is much smaller than in other electorates
and these seats should not be considered the most affected by COVID-19.
Table 7 sets out the ten electorates which have had the
largest percentage increase in Youth Allowance (Other) recipients from December
2019 to June 2020.
Table 7:
electorates with the largest percentage increase in Youth Allowance (Other)
recipients from December 2019 to June 2020
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
Dec 2019 |
Jun 2020 |
Difference Dec 19
to Jun 20 |
% change – Dec 19 to Jun
20 |
| Mackellar |
NSW |
LP |
64 |
388 |
+324 |
+506.3% |
| Wentworth |
NSW |
LP |
39 |
211 |
+172 |
+441.0% |
| Warringah |
NSW |
IND |
62 |
307 |
+245 |
+395.2% |
| North Sydney |
NSW |
LP |
35 |
166 |
+131 |
+374.3% |
| Cook |
NSW |
LP |
102 |
443 |
+341 |
+334.3% |
| Berowra |
NSW |
LP |
71 |
298 |
+227 |
+319.7% |
| Bradfield |
NSW |
LP |
47 |
192 |
+145 |
+308.5% |
| Hughes |
NSW |
LP |
124 |
495 |
+371 |
+299.2% |
| Barton |
NSW |
ALP |
161 |
637 |
+476 |
+295.7% |
| Mitchell |
NSW |
LP |
98 |
381 |
+283 |
+288.8% |
Sources:
DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486.
Another way of considering the impact of COVID-19 by
electorate is examining the number of payment recipients as a proportion of the
working-age population. This analysis uses ABS data from June 2018 on the
estimated resident population in each electorate aged 15–64. This does not
provide an exact measure but provides an indication of the percentage of the
eligible population group in an electorate receiving payments and how this has
changed as a result of COVID-19.
Table 8 sets out the electorates with the biggest change in
the estimated percentage of the population in receipt of Newstart Allowance and
Sickness Allowance + Youth Allowance (Other) in December 2019 and in receipt of
JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) in June 2020.
Table 8:
electorates with the largest increase in the percentage of the population aged
15–64 in receipt of either JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance (Other) from
December 2019 to June 2020
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
Newstart Allowance and
Sickness Allowance + Youth Allowance (Other) Dec 2019 as % of pop. 15–64 |
JobSeeker Payment +
Youth Allowance (Other) Jun 2020 as % of pop. 15–64 |
Percentage point
difference December 2019 to Jun 2020 |
| Moncrieff |
Qld. |
LNP |
5.1% |
12.9% |
+7.8 |
| Richmond |
NSW |
ALP |
6.2% |
13.6% |
+7.4 |
| McPherson |
Qld. |
LNP |
3.8% |
11.1% |
+7.2 |
| Calwell |
Vic. |
ALP |
7.1% |
14.0% |
+6.9 |
| Leichhardt |
Qld. |
LNP |
8.2% |
14.6% |
+6.4 |
| Wide Bay |
Qld. |
LNP |
8.2% |
14.4% |
+6.2 |
| Fadden |
Qld. |
LNP |
4.3% |
10.5% |
+6.2 |
| Hinkler |
Qld. |
LNP |
10.4% |
16.5% |
+6.1 |
| Lalor |
Vic. |
ALP |
4.3% |
10.4% |
+6.1 |
| Rankin |
Qld. |
LNP |
6.8% |
12.7% |
+5.9 |
Sources:
Parliamentary Library estimates based on DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486. Source for ERP ages 15-64
is Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Regional population by age and sex, Australia 2018, cat. no. 3235.0, ABS, Canberra,
29 August 2019.
Lingiari and Hinkler remained the electorates with the
largest proportion of the working-age population in receipt of these income
support payments in December 2019 and June 2020. A number of electorates
experienced significant increases in the proportion of people receiving income
support during this period to place them amongst the ten electorates with the
highest percentage of the working-age population reliant on JobSeeker Payment
or Youth Allowance (Other). These include Calwell, Richmond and Moncrieff.
Table 9 sets out those electorates estimated to have the
largest percentage of the population aged 15–64 in receipt of JobSeeker Payment
or Youth Allowance (Other) in December 2019 and in June 2020.
Table 9:
electorates with the largest percentage of the population aged 15–64 in receipt
of either JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance (Other) in December 2019 and June
2020
| December 2019 |
June 2020 |
| Electorate |
State |
Party |
% |
Electorate |
State |
Party |
% |
| Lingiari |
NT |
ALP |
15.0% |
Lingiari |
NT |
ALP |
19.5% |
| Hinkler |
Qld. |
LNP |
10.4% |
Hinkler |
Qld. |
LNP |
16.5% |
| Spence |
SA |
ALP |
10.0% |
Spence |
SA |
ALP |
14.8% |
| Grey |
SA |
LP |
9.3% |
Leichhardt |
Qld. |
LNP |
14.6% |
| Durack |
WA |
LP |
8.6% |
Wide Bay |
Qld. |
LNP |
14.4% |
| Page |
NSW |
NATS |
8.6% |
Calwell |
Vic. |
ALP |
14.0% |
| Leichhardt |
Qld. |
LNP |
8.2% |
Page |
NSW |
NATS |
13.9% |
| Wide Bay |
Qld. |
LNP |
8.2% |
Richmond |
NSW |
ALP |
13.6% |
| Braddon |
Tas. |
LP |
8.1% |
Grey |
SA |
LP |
13.1% |
| Parkes |
NSW |
NATS |
7.8% |
Moncrieff |
Qld. |
LNP |
12.9% |
Sources:
Parliamentary Library estimates based on DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486. Source for ERP ages 15-64
is Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Regional population by age and sex, Australia 2018, cat. no. 3235.0, ABS, Canberra,
29 August 2019.
Changes by electorate
Table 10 sets out the number of recipients of these payments
in each electorate on the last Friday in December 2019, March 2020, April 2020,
May 2020 and June 2020. Data for Sickness Allowance by electorate or SA2 for
January and February 2020 has not been published.
Table 10:
Newstart Allowance and Sickness Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, and Youth
Allowance (Other) recipients by Commonwealth Electoral Division, December 2019–June
2020
| State or territory |
Division |
Newstart Allowance + Sickness Allowance |
JobSeeker Payment1 |
Youth Allowance (Other) |
| Dec-19 |
Mar-20 |
Apr-20 |
May-20 |
Jun-20 |
Dec-19 |
Mar-20 |
Apr-20 |
May-20 |
Jun-20 |
| NSW |
Banks |
2 983 |
3 244 |
6 217 |
8 043 |
7 936 |
173 |
181 |
310 |
552 |
561 |
| NSW |
Barton |
2 987 |
3 353 |
7 177 |
9 694 |
9 506 |
161 |
174 |
320 |
590 |
637 |
| NSW |
Bennelong |
2 135 |
2 345 |
5 101 |
7 131 |
7 049 |
128 |
111 |
196 |
371 |
387 |
| NSW |
Berowra |
1 137 |
1 265 |
2 784 |
4 092 |
4 027 |
71 |
72 |
123 |
299 |
298 |
| NSW |
Blaxland |
6 446 |
7 047 |
11 702 |
14 585 |
14 295 |
363 |
400 |
666 |
1 165 |
1 259 |
| NSW |
Bradfield |
977 |
1 128 |
2 876 |
4 282 |
4 180 |
47 |
48 |
93 |
199 |
192 |
| NSW |
Calare |
5 303 |
5 677 |
7 595 |
8 490 |
8 409 |
807 |
909 |
1 099 |
1 401 |
1 402 |
| NSW |
Chifley |
6 884 |
7 391 |
10 696 |
13 041 |
12 965 |
749 |
861 |
1 142 |
1 714 |
1 791 |
| NSW |
Cook |
1 586 |
1 837 |
4 123 |
5 451 |
5 307 |
102 |
101 |
218 |
449 |
443 |
| NSW |
Cowper |
7 765 |
8 449 |
11 608 |
12 964 |
12 773 |
1 109 |
1 255 |
1 560 |
2 014 |
2 016 |
| NSW |
Cunningham |
4 595 |
4 966 |
7 568 |
8 673 |
8 495 |
582 |
612 |
819 |
1 111 |
1 130 |
| NSW |
Dobell |
5 585 |
6 151 |
9 101 |
10 517 |
10 269 |
810 |
873 |
1 149 |
1 562 |
1 570 |
| NSW |
Eden-Monaro |
3 627 |
4 024 |
6 030 |
7 115 |
6 940 |
407 |
460 |
595 |
887 |
887 |
| NSW |
Farrer |
5 785 |
6 092 |
8 135 |
9 267 |
9 098 |
754 |
806 |
1 028 |
1 381 |
1 401 |
| NSW |
Fowler |
9 121 |
9 805 |
13 611 |
15 995 |
15 984 |
498 |
547 |
812 |
1 211 |
1 275 |
| NSW |
Gilmore |
5 469 |
5 892 |
8 490 |
9 800 |
9 462 |
683 |
784 |
981 |
1 342 |
1 324 |
| NSW |
Grayndler |
2 728 |
2 994 |
6 429 |
7 973 |
7 806 |
137 |
139 |
239 |
457 |
458 |
| NSW |
Greenway |
3 444 |
3 885 |
6 593 |
8 596 |
8 472 |
347 |
378 |
537 |
876 |
906 |
| NSW |
Hughes |
1 434 |
1 629 |
3 356 |
4 572 |
4 493 |
124 |
141 |
239 |
486 |
495 |
| NSW |
Hume |
3 029 |
3 333 |
5 302 |
6 588 |
6 472 |
302 |
344 |
518 |
868 |
855 |
| NSW |
Hunter |
5 516 |
5 930 |
8 398 |
9 576 |
9 476 |
834 |
921 |
1 148 |
1 505 |
1 507 |
| NSW |
Kingsford Smith |
2 461 |
2 698 |
5 704 |
7 526 |
7 292 |
155 |
143 |
257 |
505 |
530 |
| NSW |
Lindsay |
4 899 |
5 458 |
8 394 |
10 146 |
10 046 |
631 |
752 |
1 024 |
1 468 |
1 492 |
| NSW |
Lyne |
6 353 |
6 818 |
9 039 |
10 245 |
10 029 |
823 |
955 |
1 168 |
1 475 |
1 481 |
| NSW |
Macarthur |
5 206 |
5 792 |
9 228 |
11 604 |
11 471 |
652 |
707 |
1 016 |
1 503 |
1 565 |
| NSW |
Mackellar |
1 256 |
1 453 |
3 625 |
5 202 |
5 049 |
64 |
78 |
156 |
400 |
388 |
| NSW |
Macquarie |
3 011 |
3 317 |
5 435 |
6 643 |
6 497 |
322 |
356 |
542 |
802 |
773 |
| NSW |
McMahon |
7 646 |
8 352 |
11 631 |
13 871 |
13 818 |
541 |
578 |
798 |
1 261 |
1 342 |
| NSW |
Mitchell |
1 328 |
1 531 |
3 591 |
5 121 |
5 030 |
98 |
105 |
181 |
375 |
381 |
| NSW |
New England |
6 559 |
7 049 |
8 836 |
9 761 |
9 644 |
1 124 |
1 235 |
1 443 |
1 744 |
1 735 |
| NSW |
Newcastle |
5 272 |
5 688 |
8 751 |
9 682 |
9 402 |
740 |
815 |
1 029 |
1 347 |
1 370 |
| NSW |
North Sydney |
1 080 |
1 238 |
3 268 |
4 815 |
4 694 |
35 |
37 |
70 |
163 |
166 |
| NSW |
Page |
7 853 |
8 496 |
11 242 |
12 757 |
12 558 |
1 106 |
1 254 |
1 513 |
1 948 |
1 968 |
| NSW |
Parkes |
7 480 |
7 865 |
9 571 |
10 348 |
10 263 |
1 258 |
1 417 |
1 601 |
1 928 |
1 960 |
| NSW |
Parramatta |
4 652 |
5 138 |
8 769 |
11 317 |
11 163 |
282 |
276 |
462 |
717 |
753 |
| NSW |
Paterson |
5 749 |
6 305 |
9 063 |
10 321 |
10 077 |
941 |
1 071 |
1 349 |
1 786 |
1 808 |
| NSW |
Reid |
2 217 |
2 488 |
5 732 |
8 003 |
7 796 |
105 |
91 |
192 |
374 |
394 |
| NSW |
Richmond |
6 410 |
6 953 |
12 113 |
14 188 |
13 728 |
614 |
694 |
1 058 |
1 658 |
1 660 |
| NSW |
Riverina |
5 349 |
5 760 |
7 430 |
8 353 |
8 233 |
797 |
883 |
1 066 |
1 375 |
1 358 |
| NSW |
Robertson |
4 090 |
4 493 |
7 251 |
8 724 |
8 577 |
471 |
533 |
708 |
1 086 |
1 091 |
| NSW |
Shortland |
4 202 |
4 661 |
6 857 |
7 948 |
7 814 |
633 |
700 |
907 |
1 260 |
1 275 |
| NSW |
Sydney |
3 916 |
4 262 |
8 639 |
10 850 |
10 715 |
176 |
203 |
279 |
449 |
439 |
| NSW |
Warringah |
1 031 |
1 151 |
3 136 |
4 697 |
4 539 |
62 |
64 |
117 |
301 |
307 |
| NSW |
Watson |
4 955 |
5 443 |
10 111 |
12 793 |
12 488 |
280 |
299 |
528 |
902 |
953 |
| NSW |
Wentworth |
1 090 |
1 271 |
3 958 |
5 634 |
5 429 |
39 |
50 |
89 |
214 |
211 |
| NSW |
Werriwa |
6 464 |
7 044 |
10 530 |
13 080 |
13 032 |
472 |
530 |
784 |
1 305 |
1 416 |
| NSW |
Whitlam |
4 547 |
4 878 |
7 336 |
8 464 |
8 364 |
656 |
758 |
1 003 |
1 378 |
1 407 |
| Vic. |
Aston |
3 090 |
3 339 |
5 940 |
7 652 |
7 459 |
247 |
280 |
410 |
692 |
664 |
| Vic. |
Ballarat |
5 405 |
5 857 |
8 432 |
9 492 |
9 345 |
736 |
817 |
1 035 |
1 328 |
1 330 |
| Vic. |
Bendigo |
5 130 |
5 505 |
7 715 |
9 026 |
8 835 |
653 |
686 |
905 |
1 254 |
1 228 |
| Vic. |
Bruce |
6 936 |
7 567 |
11 396 |
14 213 |
14 057 |
562 |
610 |
831 |
1 265 |
1 334 |
| Vic. |
Calwell |
8 422 |
9 161 |
13 715 |
16 586 |
16 505 |
801 |
846 |
1 124 |
1 675 |
1 687 |
| Vic. |
Casey |
3 258 |
3 537 |
5 900 |
7 444 |
7 217 |
324 |
317 |
490 |
849 |
845 |
| Vic. |
Chisholm |
2 348 |
2 578 |
5 088 |
6 799 |
6 764 |
199 |
194 |
276 |
396 |
400 |
| Vic. |
Cooper |
4 368 |
4 814 |
9 018 |
10 656 |
10 418 |
295 |
340 |
447 |
666 |
658 |
| Vic. |
Corangamite |
2 900 |
3 093 |
5 840 |
7 127 |
6 931 |
295 |
285 |
479 |
811 |
817 |
| Vic. |
Corio |
5 624 |
5 997 |
8 733 |
9 916 |
9 754 |
674 |
740 |
963 |
1 292 |
1 289 |
| Vic. |
Deakin |
3 045 |
3 381 |
5 791 |
7 178 |
7 077 |
257 |
240 |
366 |
593 |
624 |
| Vic. |
Dunkley |
4 675 |
5 025 |
7 851 |
9 607 |
9 456 |
453 |
486 |
703 |
1 061 |
1 064 |
| Vic. |
Flinders |
3 505 |
3 800 |
6 383 |
7 752 |
7 510 |
291 |
314 |
490 |
853 |
861 |
| Vic. |
Fraser |
7 896 |
8 534 |
12 496 |
14 998 |
14 898 |
480 |
489 |
667 |
1 017 |
1 054 |
| Vic. |
Gellibrand |
4 281 |
4 613 |
7 859 |
9 835 |
9 742 |
298 |
293 |
425 |
661 |
649 |
| Vic. |
Gippsland |
6 787 |
7 257 |
9 238 |
10 635 |
10 533 |
808 |
874 |
1 043 |
1 344 |
1 340 |
| Vic. |
Goldstein |
1 603 |
1 772 |
3 770 |
5 112 |
4 994 |
82 |
88 |
165 |
307 |
301 |
| Vic. |
Gorton |
6 127 |
6 784 |
10 544 |
13 059 |
12 857 |
642 |
687 |
928 |
1 369 |
1 381 |
| Vic. |
Higgins |
1 766 |
2 031 |
4 913 |
6 305 |
6 135 |
99 |
94 |
164 |
328 |
332 |
| Vic. |
Holt |
4 800 |
5 336 |
8 865 |
11 447 |
11 373 |
578 |
643 |
850 |
1 361 |
1 397 |
| Vic. |
Hotham |
2 915 |
3 285 |
6 204 |
8 032 |
7 876 |
183 |
194 |
293 |
509 |
518 |
| Vic. |
Indi |
4 594 |
4 914 |
6 867 |
8 188 |
8 064 |
524 |
572 |
727 |
1 030 |
1 044 |
| Vic. |
Isaacs |
2 940 |
3 200 |
5 768 |
7 404 |
7 283 |
196 |
214 |
318 |
543 |
559 |
| Vic. |
Jagajaga |
2 654 |
2 872 |
5 182 |
6 428 |
6 269 |
171 |
197 |
283 |
460 |
465 |
| Vic. |
Kooyong |
1 212 |
1 373 |
3 558 |
4 809 |
4 619 |
72 |
67 |
120 |
250 |
260 |
| Vic. |
La Trobe |
3 578 |
3 985 |
7 036 |
9 088 |
8 987 |
389 |
455 |
641 |
1 062 |
1 061 |
| Vic. |
Lalor |
5 468 |
6 065 |
10 276 |
13 323 |
13 193 |
581 |
616 |
852 |
1 272 |
1 321 |
| Vic. |
Macnamara |
3 052 |
3 453 |
7 480 |
9 464 |
9 375 |
136 |
138 |
229 |
410 |
425 |
| Vic. |
Mallee |
6 426 |
6 743 |
8 594 |
9 757 |
9 712 |
757 |
830 |
1 004 |
1 341 |
1 316 |
| Vic. |
Maribyrnong |
3 664 |
4 133 |
7 624 |
9 217 |
9 025 |
237 |
257 |
406 |
642 |
651 |
| Vic. |
McEwen |
3 039 |
3 390 |
5 916 |
7 589 |
7 497 |
327 |
367 |
513 |
832 |
836 |
| Vic. |
Melbourne |
4 473 |
4 964 |
10 093 |
11 981 |
11 824 |
264 |
247 |
397 |
578 |
583 |
| Vic. |
Menzies |
1 879 |
2 102 |
4 488 |
6 066 |
5 946 |
99 |
101 |
197 |
379 |
361 |
| Vic. |
Monash |
5 299 |
5 630 |
7 839 |
9 229 |
9 131 |
473 |
518 |
705 |
1 027 |
1 042 |
| Vic. |
Nicholls |
6 172 |
6 587 |
8 506 |
9 623 |
9 511 |
698 |
757 |
947 |
1 294 |
1 288 |
| Vic. |
Scullin |
5 064 |
5 497 |
8 880 |
11 095 |
10 964 |
440 |
458 |
657 |
1 027 |
1 036 |
| Vic. |
Wannon |
5 411 |
5 789 |
7 673 |
8 656 |
8 546 |
640 |
698 |
885 |
1 152 |
1 135 |
| Vic. |
Wills |
3 974 |
4 476 |
9 010 |
10 741 |
10 504 |
287 |
292 |
465 |
750 |
764 |
| Qld. |
Blair |
7 400 |
8 159 |
11 007 |
12 914 |
12 851 |
1 380 |
1 491 |
1 824 |
2 329 |
2 365 |
| Qld. |
Bonner |
3 192 |
3 553 |
5 922 |
7 414 |
7 274 |
405 |
421 |
591 |
876 |
886 |
| Qld. |
Bowman |
3 963 |
4 371 |
6 861 |
8 426 |
8 365 |
478 |
513 |
697 |
1 082 |
1 068 |
| Qld. |
Brisbane |
3 854 |
4 231 |
8 440 |
9 999 |
9 889 |
348 |
341 |
575 |
846 |
853 |
| Qld. |
Capricornia |
5 335 |
5 738 |
7 400 |
8 369 |
8 234 |
786 |
859 |
1 062 |
1 410 |
1 396 |
| Qld. |
Dawson |
5 245 |
5 859 |
8 752 |
10 037 |
9 853 |
679 |
779 |
1 001 |
1 413 |
1 418 |
| Qld. |
Dickson |
3 553 |
3 946 |
6 332 |
7 703 |
7 488 |
598 |
673 |
857 |
1 216 |
1 212 |
| Qld. |
Fadden |
5 640 |
6 340 |
11 623 |
13 802 |
13 586 |
660 |
826 |
1 190 |
1 841 |
1 819 |
| Qld. |
Fairfax |
4 835 |
5 342 |
9 448 |
11 207 |
10 907 |
634 |
736 |
1 096 |
1 570 |
1 582 |
| Qld. |
Fisher |
4 607 |
5 057 |
8 845 |
10 665 |
10 352 |
636 |
745 |
1 098 |
1 610 |
1 628 |
| Qld. |
Flynn |
7 034 |
7 553 |
9 549 |
10 720 |
10 695 |
976 |
1 078 |
1 275 |
1 602 |
1 577 |
| Qld. |
Forde |
6 405 |
7 040 |
10 845 |
13 215 |
13 107 |
1 032 |
1 153 |
1 499 |
2 102 |
2 132 |
| Qld. |
Griffith |
3 598 |
4 072 |
7 697 |
9 355 |
9 180 |
374 |
408 |
617 |
927 |
926 |
| Qld. |
Groom |
5 191 |
5 605 |
7 589 |
8 602 |
8 504 |
1 016 |
1 074 |
1 308 |
1 698 |
1 686 |
| Qld. |
Herbert |
7 211 |
7 758 |
10 653 |
11 975 |
11 863 |
1 173 |
1 270 |
1 548 |
2 047 |
2 034 |
| Qld. |
Hinkler |
7 707 |
8 403 |
11 046 |
12 229 |
12 091 |
1 158 |
1 302 |
1 577 |
1 968 |
1 964 |
| Qld. |
Kennedy |
8 733 |
9 464 |
12 073 |
13 565 |
13 389 |
1 148 |
1 324 |
1 544 |
1 955 |
2 020 |
| Qld. |
Leichhardt |
9 755 |
10 626 |
16 003 |
17 410 |
17 144 |
1 194 |
1 415 |
1 742 |
2 284 |
2 288 |
| Qld. |
Lilley |
3 971 |
4 373 |
7 469 |
8 911 |
8 687 |
477 |
527 |
715 |
1 009 |
1 019 |
| Qld. |
Longman |
7 034 |
7 697 |
10 865 |
12 766 |
12 682 |
1 175 |
1 300 |
1 630 |
2 167 |
2 209 |
| Qld. |
Maranoa |
5 755 |
6 210 |
7 717 |
8 904 |
8 948 |
881 |
1 008 |
1 197 |
1 509 |
1 499 |
| Qld. |
McPherson |
3 977 |
4 523 |
9 407 |
11 584 |
11 270 |
389 |
489 |
857 |
1 409 |
1 386 |
| Qld. |
Moncrieff |
5 951 |
6 637 |
12 922 |
15 205 |
14 895 |
571 |
674 |
1 025 |
1 637 |
1 665 |
| Qld. |
Moreton |
4 327 |
4 803 |
7 968 |
9 744 |
9 526 |
507 |
554 |
698 |
1 009 |
985 |
| Qld. |
Oxley |
6 250 |
7 101 |
10 356 |
12 457 |
12 297 |
924 |
1 064 |
1 335 |
1 786 |
1 823 |
| Qld. |
Petrie |
5 656 |
6 272 |
9 644 |
11 647 |
11 505 |
888 |
1 004 |
1 337 |
1 805 |
1 806 |
| Qld. |
Rankin |
7 787 |
8 781 |
12 611 |
14 926 |
14 771 |
1 301 |
1 373 |
1 725 |
2 240 |
2 236 |
| Qld. |
Ryan |
2 104 |
2 323 |
4 413 |
5 743 |
5 659 |
295 |
279 |
410 |
646 |
651 |
| Qld. |
Wide Bay |
6 951 |
7 416 |
10 808 |
12 397 |
12 180 |
1 006 |
1 100 |
1 394 |
1 845 |
1 832 |
| Qld. |
Wright |
5 086 |
5 704 |
8 416 |
10 408 |
10 278 |
667 |
806 |
1 073 |
1 515 |
1 566 |
| SA |
Adelaide |
6 455 |
6 916 |
10 751 |
12 415 |
12 128 |
539 |
537 |
695 |
970 |
1 012 |
| SA |
Barker |
6 936 |
7 380 |
9 374 |
10 719 |
10 623 |
766 |
855 |
1 019 |
1 367 |
1 390 |
| SA |
Boothby |
4 390 |
4 775 |
7 518 |
8 718 |
8 586 |
423 |
425 |
587 |
820 |
814 |
| SA |
Grey |
9 656 |
10 159 |
12 326 |
13 537 |
13 449 |
1 152 |
1 269 |
1 455 |
1 754 |
1 747 |
| SA |
Hindmarsh |
6 109 |
6 570 |
9 673 |
11 242 |
11 017 |
574 |
618 |
794 |
1 090 |
1 089 |
| SA |
Kingston |
6 695 |
7 095 |
10 016 |
11 528 |
11 362 |
853 |
936 |
1 148 |
1 559 |
1 557 |
| SA |
Makin |
5 729 |
6 184 |
8 828 |
10 448 |
10 275 |
630 |
683 |
899 |
1 234 |
1 240 |
| SA |
Mayo |
4 609 |
5 018 |
7 443 |
8 857 |
8 686 |
474 |
516 |
684 |
1 056 |
1 039 |
| SA |
Spence |
12 144 |
12 930 |
15 885 |
17 828 |
17 864 |
1 602 |
1 654 |
1 920 |
2 345 |
2 371 |
| SA |
Sturt |
3 684 |
3 997 |
6 708 |
8 228 |
8 035 |
319 |
329 |
428 |
664 |
662 |
| WA |
Brand |
7 013 |
7 557 |
10 489 |
12 592 |
12 422 |
953 |
1 002 |
1 206 |
1 679 |
1 665 |
| WA |
Burt |
7 527 |
8 149 |
11 000 |
13 160 |
12 964 |
1 084 |
1 145 |
1 305 |
1 695 |
1 734 |
| WA |
Canning |
5 955 |
6 395 |
8 654 |
10 348 |
10 238 |
767 |
828 |
1 033 |
1 377 |
1 411 |
| WA |
Cowan |
5 524 |
6 047 |
8 725 |
10 482 |
10 336 |
644 |
683 |
877 |
1 246 |
1 281 |
| WA |
Curtin |
2 042 |
2 244 |
4 185 |
5 297 |
5 131 |
157 |
163 |
236 |
382 |
374 |
| WA |
Durack |
9 751 |
10 425 |
12 665 |
14 323 |
14 349 |
1 323 |
1 508 |
1 680 |
2 145 |
2 196 |
| WA |
Forrest |
5 599 |
5 968 |
8 660 |
10 345 |
10 164 |
719 |
771 |
969 |
1 379 |
1 380 |
| WA |
Fremantle |
5 085 |
5 534 |
8 378 |
10 166 |
9 929 |
548 |
613 |
762 |
1 067 |
1 061 |
| WA |
Hasluck |
5 380 |
5 818 |
7 924 |
9 463 |
9 230 |
679 |
710 |
873 |
1 163 |
1 199 |
| WA |
Moore |
2 662 |
2 889 |
4 979 |
6 446 |
6 200 |
264 |
296 |
434 |
726 |
716 |
| WA |
O'Connor |
6 474 |
6 855 |
8 527 |
9 869 |
9 867 |
684 |
728 |
885 |
1 226 |
1 248 |
| WA |
Pearce |
6 290 |
6 798 |
9 991 |
12 410 |
12 074 |
906 |
984 |
1 233 |
1 762 |
1 792 |
| WA |
Perth |
5 072 |
5 488 |
8 644 |
10 274 |
10 089 |
426 |
416 |
547 |
794 |
795 |
| WA |
Stirling |
5 471 |
5 826 |
8 781 |
10 384 |
10 140 |
518 |
510 |
663 |
885 |
918 |
| WA |
Swan |
5 635 |
6 186 |
9 221 |
10 969 |
10 824 |
663 |
691 |
870 |
1 197 |
1 230 |
| WA |
Tangney |
2 247 |
2 532 |
4 190 |
5 555 |
5 386 |
205 |
231 |
306 |
468 |
485 |
| Tas. |
Bass |
5 271 |
5 550 |
7 080 |
7 958 |
7 888 |
819 |
821 |
980 |
1 206 |
1 220 |
| Tas. |
Braddon |
4 767 |
4 998 |
6 207 |
7 089 |
7 034 |
778 |
780 |
880 |
1 070 |
1 064 |
| Tas. |
Clark |
3 719 |
3 971 |
5 811 |
6 546 |
6 474 |
608 |
611 |
759 |
929 |
922 |
| Tas. |
Franklin |
2 970 |
3 206 |
4 602 |
5 485 |
5 408 |
528 |
526 |
663 |
886 |
857 |
| Tas. |
Lyons |
4 559 |
4 829 |
6 514 |
7 650 |
7 588 |
675 |
674 |
823 |
1 036 |
1 057 |
| NT |
Lingiari |
12 619 |
13 138 |
14 802 |
15 952 |
15 991 |
1 666 |
1 984 |
2 174 |
2 469 |
2 551 |
| NT |
Solomon |
3 872 |
4 299 |
6 094 |
7 065 |
6 867 |
526 |
576 |
725 |
945 |
942 |
| ACT |
Bean |
2 023 |
2 170 |
3 488 |
4 278 |
4 233 |
241 |
257 |
360 |
568 |
577 |
| ACT |
Canberra |
1 814 |
1 957 |
3 359 |
4 075 |
4 036 |
185 |
185 |
270 |
410 |
396 |
| ACT |
Fenner |
2 079 |
2 344 |
4 085 |
4 988 |
4 857 |
258 |
284 |
419 |
606 |
618 |
(1) March 2020 is the sum of JobSeeker Payment and
Sickness Allowance as some Sickness Allowance recipients had not been
transferred to JobSeeker Payment by the date the data was extracted. Sickness
Allowance by electorate data not available for the period April 2020–June 2020
and the number of recipients rapidly decreased during this period as recipients
were transferred to JobSeeker Payment.
Sources: DSS, ‘DSS Demographics December 2019’, data.gov.au website, last updated 21 April 2020; DSS,
‘DSS Demographics March 2020’, data.gov.au website, last updated 27 July 2020; Senate
Select Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the
Department of Social Services, Question reference number SQ20-000486.
[1]. Department of
Social Services (DSS), ‘JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance recipients monthly profile: June 2020’,
data.gov.au website, last updated 17 July 2020. All hyperlinks correct as at
August 2020.
[2]. M Klapdor and C
Giuliano, The
impact of COVID-19 on JobSeeker Payment recipient numbers by electorate,
Research paper series, 2020–21, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 14 July 2020.
[3]. Senate Select
Committee on COVID-19, Answers to written questions on notice by the Department
of Social Services, Question
reference number SQ20-000486.
[4]. DSS, ‘JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance recipients monthly profile: June 2020’, op.
cit.
[5]. Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Regional
population by age and sex, Australia 2018, cat. no. 3235.0, ABS,
Canberra, 29 August 2019.
[6]. Services
Australia (SA), ‘JobSeeker
Payment’, SA website, last updated 27 August 2020.
[7]. D Arthur, ‘JobSeeker
Payment: a quick guide’, Research paper series, 2019–20, Parliamentary
Library, Canberra, 13 March 2020.
[8]. SA, ‘JobSeeker
Payment’, op. cit.
[9]. SA, ‘JobSeeker
Payment: How much you can get’, SA website, last updated 27 August 2020;
SA, ‘Energy
Supplement: How much you can get: Payment rates on a pension or allowance’,
SA website, last updated 29 May 2020.
[10]. SA, ‘Coronavirus
Supplement: How much you can get’, SA website, last updated 27 August 2020.
[11]. S Morrison
(Prime Minister), J Frydenberg (Treasurer) and A Ruston (Minister for Families
and Social Services), JobKeeper
payment and income support extended, media release, 21 July 2020.
[12]. SA, ‘Youth
Allowance for jobseekers’, SA website, last updated 17 August 2020.
[13]. SA, ‘Youth
Allowance for students and apprentices: How much you can get: Income test’,
SA website, last updated 13 August 2020.
[14]. SA, ‘Youth
Allowance for jobseekers: How much you can get’, SA website, last updated
27 August 2020; SA, ‘Energy
Supplement: How much you can get: Payment rates on Youth Allowance’, SA
website, last updated 29 May 2020.
[15]. SA, ‘Coronavirus
Supplement: How much you can get’, op. cit.
[16]. S Morrison
(Prime Minister), J Frydenberg (Treasurer) and A Ruston (Minister for Families
and Social Services), op. cit.
[17]. DSS, ‘Coronavirus
(COVID-19) information and support’, DSS website, last updated 5 August
2020.
[18]. The waiver of
the ordinary waiting period commenced 12 March 2020 via the Social Security
(Ordinary Waiting Period Exemption) Instrument 2020 and was extended until
at least 24 September 2020 by the Social Security
(Coronavirus Economic Response—2020 Measures No. 7) Determination 2020.
DSS, ‘Government
response to Coronavirus’, Social security guide, DSS website, last
reviewed 1 July 2020.
[19]. Ibid.
[20]. SA, ‘Coronavirus
Supplement: Who can get it’, SA website, last updated 14 August 2020.
[21]. See M Klapdor,
Changes
to the COVID-19 social security measures: a brief assessment, Research
paper series, 2020–21, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 30 July 2020.
[22]. S Morrison
(Prime Minister), J Frydenberg (Treasurer) and A Ruston (Minister for Families
and Social Services), op. cit.
[23]. Ibid.
[24]. DSS, ‘JobSeeker
Payment and Youth Allowance recipients monthly profile: June 2020’,
data.gov.au website, last updated 17 July 2020.
[25]. Ibid.
[26]. Comparable
data not available for all payments for 31 July 2020.
[27]. S Morrison
(Prime Minister) and J Frydenberg (Treasurer), $130
billion jobkeeper payment to keep Australians in a job, media release,
30 March 2020.
[28]. SA, ‘JobSeeker
Payment: Getting JobKeeper payment’, SA website, last updated 15 August
2020.
[29]. See details of
the income limits for various payments in SA, A
guide to Australian Government payments: 1 July–19 September 2020, SA,
2020, pp. 37–41.
[30]. S Morrison
(Prime Minister), J Frydenberg (Treasurer) and A Ruston (Minister for Families
and Social Services), op. cit.
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.
© Commonwealth of Australia
Creative Commons
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, and to the extent that copyright subsists in a third party, this publication, its logo and front page design are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia licence.
In essence, you are free to copy and communicate this work in its current form for all non-commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to the author and abide by the other licence terms. The work cannot be adapted or modified in any way. Content from this publication should be attributed in the following way: Author(s), Title of publication, Series Name and No, Publisher, Date.
To the extent that copyright subsists in third party quotes it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.
Inquiries regarding the licence and any use of the publication are welcome to webmanager@aph.gov.au.
This work has been prepared to support the work of the Australian Parliament using information available at the time of production. The views expressed do not reflect an official position of the Parliamentary Library, nor do they constitute professional legal opinion.
Any concerns or complaints should be directed to the Parliamentary Librarian. Parliamentary Library staff are available to discuss the contents of publications with Senators and Members and their staff. To access this service, clients may contact the author or the Library‘s Central Entry Point for referral.