Social services minister refuses to say whether Newstart adequate

Anne Ruston says 'it wouldn't be easy' to live on the $40-a-day unemployment payment and says it's only intended as a 'safety net'

Social services minister Anne Ruston has refused to endorse the Newstart payment as adequate amid growing calls for it to be lifted, saying the payment was always intended as a "safety net".

Ruston said the prime minister, Scott Morrison, had already made clear the government was not considering boosting the payment. She repeatedly declined to say the unemployment benefit was enough for daily living costs such as heating and food.