Carers Australia welcomes the call from the Australian Greens to apply the $550 a fortnight Coronavirus Supplement, which will be available to a number of Centrelink income support recipients, to those receiving Carer Payment and the Disability Support Pension.
The Greens’ disability Spokesperson, Senator Jordan Steele-John, has strongly advocated that ‘The Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment exist in recognition of the fact that disabled people and carers have higher everyday costs and face significant barriers to entering the workforce. Those costs and barriers have increased, not decreased, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.’
Carers Australia and a large number of disability organisations have also supported the Coronavirus Supplement being attached to the Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment.
As yet, there has been no formal response from Government.
