The Govt’s Workforce Incentives Bill Is An Insult To Every Welfare Recipient Under 66 Years Old

The Federal Government passed its Workforce Incentives Bill on Tuesday, allowing age pensioners to earn more without their pension payments being affected. But the final bill omitted some hard-fought amendments proposed by the Greens: that this allowance should be extended to all welfare recipients. The bill allows age pensioners (who are 66 or older) to earn an extra $4000 a year on top of their existing $7800 threshold before their payments start to be deducted. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, who tabled the Workforce Incentives Bill, said on Wednesday ​​”giving older Australians the choice to engage in the workforce will not only benefit them by ensuring they keep more of their pension, it is also an important step towards addressing Australia’s labour shortages.” But advocates and Greens Senator Janet Rice