COVID-19 Disaster Support Payment boosted
- Written by Scott Morrison
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Increased financial support for hundreds of thousands of workers in New South Wales will be available from next week as part of the Commonwealth Government’s expanded national COVID-19 Disaster Payment.
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Payments will continue to support workers in every state and territory who lose hours due to a state government lockdown or public health order.
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Eligible workers will receive $750 per week if they lose 20 hours or more of work while those that lose between 8 and less than 20 hours, or a full day of work, will receive a payment of $450 per week.
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This new level of payment recognises the significant impact that the new COVID-19 Delta strain is having on communities, businesses and workers.
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The Commonwealth Government will provide financial support to those in a declared Commonwealth Hotspot. The provision of financial support outside of these areas will be provided where requested at the cost of state or territory governments.
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The new national payment rate will commence for payments processed week commencing 2 August and will be automatically updated for those already in the Services Australia system.
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It will be available from day one of any potential lockdown in the future, with claims made from day eight in arrears for the previous seven days. A weekly payment will then be made for the duration of the hotspot declaration.
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There will be no liquid assets test applied to eligibility for these payments and an individual does not need to run down personal annual leave.
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Individuals who currently receive an income support payment through our social security safety net will receive a weekly payment of $200, in addition to their existing payment, if they can demonstrate they have lost more than 8 hours of work and meet the other eligibility requirements for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment.
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Claiming this payment must be done through Services Australia and myGov and will be a separate stand-alone payment. It will be paid weekly for however long the lockdown and Commonwealth Hotspot remains in place.
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Our Government will continue to support Australians facing the economic consequences of extended lockdowns.
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The Commonwealth Government, through Services Australia, has processed more than 955,000 COVID Disaster Payment claims, paying out more than $490 million to workers in New South Wales and Victoria.
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More information about the COVID-19 Disaster Payment can be found on the Services Australia website.
Image courtesy ABC