New COVID temporary payment scheme criticised

Greater Melbourne is in its second week of lockdown, and Acting Premier James Merlino pledged the Federal government to reinstate JobKeeper to support workers.

While the Federal government rejected the idea, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a “temporary COVID disaster payment” for those areas affected with a lockdown for more than seven days, and the government declares them as a hotspot.

However, the scheme is under the spotlight because it contains several loopholes and Jobseekers and students may not be elegible for the new scheme.

Produced By: Eduardo Jordan

Featured In Story: Professor Peter Whiteford – Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University

First aired on The Wire, Friday, 4 June 2021