5 years on: What did the COVID supplement mean for welfare recipients, then and now

** 7:30pm AEDT – 7pm ACDT – 6:30pm AEST – 4:30pm AWST **

Five years ago the Morrison government showed Centrelink payments can be increased to the poverty line overnight when he increased JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy and Parenting Payment. Welfare recipients mobilised, sharing #550ReasonsToSmile, campaigning to extend the $550 a fortnight COVID supplement to other payments, to expand eligibility for income support to non-citizens living in Australia and to #KeepTheRate. 

A year later, all support that had been introduced for welfare recipients in response to COVID was ripped away. And on 20 March 2025, the 6-monthly indexation "increase" added a paltry $3.10 a fortnight to the JobSeeker payment, which is still hundreds of dollars a week below the Henderson poverty line. 

Join the Antipoverty Centre, Australian Unemployed Workers' Union, Anti-Poverty Network Queensland, Anti-Poverty Network South Australia and Nobody Deserves Poverty to mark the 5 year anniversary of the COVID supplement announcement, which had ramifications far beyond the immediate relief it offered to people who so desperately needed it. We encourage everyone who is interested in reducing poverty and inequality to join us, including people on low incomes, unionists, community sector workers and all who support us. This event is free for all to attend. 

Bread and roses 
To mark this anniversary we have commissioned an original artwork by Judy Kuo from the Workers' Art Collective. If you can comfortably afford to do so, please make a contribution to the cost of the commission when registering for this event. A high quality print will be sent to those who donate $25 or more, while t-shirts and posters will be available for anyone to purchase in the coming weeks. People on low incomes will be able to access the solidarity fund to get a free poster or shirt. 

Agenda

• 7:30 Acknowledgement of Country and introduction
• 7:35 Why did the Morrison government increase Centrelink payments in response to COVID? 
• 7:40 Reflections from people who received the COVID supplement and those who were excluded 
• 7:50 Questions from event attendees 
• 8:00 Short break 
• 8:05 The "natural experiment": What did the COVID supplement and suspension of "mutual" obligations mean for policymaking? 
• 8:10 The politics of welfare in the 2025 federal election 
• 8:15 Questions from event attendees 
• 8:25 Breakout rooms for discussion 
• 8:40 Final reflections 
• 8:45 Event closes 

We will arrange an ASL or other language interpreter on request. Email isabelle@antipovertycentre.org with the subject line: 'Interpreter booking for online event'. You will be able to send other accessibility requests on the event registration page. 

nb: Humanitix will request your full name, however we do not need this information. Enter whatever you are comfortable with when asked for your name.