Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has refused to rule out the Coalition's proposal to increase the JobSeeker income free threshold, but Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has dismissed it as a "thought bubble with no substantive analysis behind it".
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton used his budget reply speech to call for JobSeeker recipients to be able to work and earn more before their payments are reduced, and suggested it would be a strong incentive to get people into work.
