The JobSeeker payment, which replaced the $550 per fortnight JobSeeker allowance, was doubled to $1,100 per fortnight to help the hundreds of thousands of Australians out of work due to the virus. 

The allowance is now being paid to well over one million Australians, and is only set to run until September (possibly ending sooner), but polling from Vox Pop Labs in collaboration with the ABC shows just 34% of Australians think it should be reduced. 

Of the 2,000 Australians surveyed, almost 60% (58%) of people said the JobSeeker rate was about right, while 19% said it should be lower. 

Only 9% said they didn't know.

Interestingly, people aged 18-34 were the more likely demographic to say the rate should be substantially reduced, while 60% of people said the government should provide a guaranteed minimum income for all regardless of their employment status. 

Need somewhere to store cash and earn interest? The table below features introductory savings accounts with some of the highest interest rates on the market.

Provider

4001$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening
  • No account keeping fees
  • No minimum balance
Disclosure

High Interest Savings Account (<$250k)

  • Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening
  • No account keeping fees
  • No minimum balance
Disclosure
000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Set up your Pay Cycle and connect your accounts from over 140 financial institutions.
  • Retrace your spending steps into categories with Spending Footprint.
  • No monthly or international fees on any of your transactions.
Disclosure

Save Account

  • Set up your Pay Cycle and connect your accounts from over 140 financial institutions.
  • Retrace your spending steps into categories with Spending Footprint.
  • No monthly or international fees on any of your transactions.
Disclosure
400$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Special offer: Savings Accelerator (Kick Starter offer).
  • For a limited time, new ING customers can get a bonus 0.70% p.a. on their savings rate on balances of $150,000 up to $500,000 for the first 4 months. T&Cs apply.
  • If your balance is over $500,000 (but less than $5 million) you will earn the ongoing variable rate of 4.7%
Disclosure

Savings Accelerator

  • Special offer: Savings Accelerator (Kick Starter offer).
  • For a limited time, new ING customers can get a bonus 0.70% p.a. on their savings rate on balances of $150,000 up to $500,000 for the first 4 months. T&Cs apply.
  • If your balance is over $500,000 (but less than $5 million) you will earn the ongoing variable rate of 4.7%
Disclosure
4000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking
  • No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties
  • Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace
Disclosure

Savings Account

  • A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking
  • No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties
  • Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace
Disclosure
010000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source
  • Make 5 or more eligible transactions. Grow your savings balance each month
Disclosure

Savings Maximiser

  • Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source
  • Make 5 or more eligible transactions. Grow your savings balance each month
Disclosure
02000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
Disclosure

Online Savings - Premium Saver

    Disclosure
    020000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

    HomeME Savings Account (<$100k)

      02001$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

      Growth Saver

        01000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

        Virgin Money Boost Saver

          01001$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

          Bonus Saver Account

            01000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

            Bonus Saver

              0100$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

              mySaver

                000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                Simple Saver

                  4001$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                  Netsave Account

                    3000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                    Online Savings Account

                      3000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                      HSBC Everyday Savings Account

                        0501$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                        Incentive Saver Account

                          4000.01$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                          Bankwest Easy Saver

                            0502$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                            Bonus Saver

                              0500$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details

                              Incentive Saver Account

                                Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

                                All products with a link to a product provider’s website have a commercial marketing relationship between us and these providers. These products may appear prominently and first within the search tables regardless of their attributes and may include products marked as promoted, featured or sponsored. The link to a product provider’s website will allow you to get more information or apply for the product. By de-selecting “Show online partners only” additional non-commercialised products may be displayed and re-sorted at the top of the table. For more information on how we’ve selected these “Sponsored”, “Featured” and “Promoted” products, the products we compare, how we make money, and other important information about our service, please click here. Rates correct as of December 5, 2024. View disclaimer.

                                Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

                                This data is supported by a previous survey in May, when the national Essential Poll found 57% of Australians - another majority - supported the JobSeeker payment not being cut, with 15% undecided, leaving a minority wanting a reduction. 

                                The government has made it quite clear that both the JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments are temporary.

                                Speaking to the National Press Club on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the schemes cannot be extended. 

                                “Our response has followed a clear plan to save lives and save livelihoods, with strong and coordinated leadership across all governments, brought together through the National Cabinet,” he said. 

                                “At a now anticipated cost of more than $150 billion in just six months, all borrowed against future tax revenue, these supports can of course only be temporary."

                                In a previous press conference, Mr Morrison also said that a doubled unemployment rate could be a "disincentive" to look for work.

                                "That's why these arrangements with the COVID supplement are temporary arrangements," he said on May 14.

                                The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) meanwhile has urged the Government to extend the payment until a time when everyone can be kept out of poverty. 

                                “As well as taking immediate action for temporary migrants, the Government must commit to extending the JobKeeper and the new JobSeeker payments beyond September," Acting CEO Jacqueline Phillips said.

                                "Instead of the original plan to cut income support by half in September, taking us back to the old unlivable Newstart rate, the Government should permanently put in place a social security system that keeps everyone out of poverty."

                                The old $550-per fortnight rate of Newstart is $40 per day. 

                                “Through the new JobSeeker payment and the JobKeeper wage subsidy, the Government has saved jobs and kept many people out of poverty. The sudden removal of JobKeeper Payment across the board, or cutting the new JobSeeker Payment back to the old Newstart level, would lead to a devastating increase in unemployment and financial hardship," Ms Phillips said. 

                                ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie has previously said the old $40 per day amount is "brutal". 

                                “We can never go back to the brutality of trying to survive on $40 a day. We need a secure safety net that protects us all from poverty," she said. 

                                “The ongoing JobSeeker payment must ensure everyone can keep a roof overhead, food on the table, and the lights on.

                                “Cutting the incomes of people who need it the most would only stall any recovery."

                                The Prime Minister yesterday announced his Government's JobMaker plan, which is essentially aimed at streamlining industrial relations and creating more jobs to boost the economy in the coming months and years.