Federal budget should have raised welfare payments amid cost-of-living crisis, recipients say

Advocates express deep unease about lack of action for people on income support and repeat calls to lift jobseeker rate to $73 a day

• Explore all of our 2022 Australia federal budget coverage
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

After months spent trying to stretch jobseeker payments amid a cost-of-living crisis, Paulene Hutton hoped for some relief in the budget. But there was none.

Instead she said she was coming to terms with the government's estimate of a 50% increase in electricity prices by 2023-24 - an amount that would raise her power bill from an average of $350 a quarter to $525.

Sign up for our free morning newsletter and afternoon email to get your daily news roundup