By Alesha Capone
More than 1000 jobless people living in Wyndham have been receiving Centrelink payments for five years or longer.
Figures from the Department of Social Services reveal that as of March 30 this year, 1123 Wyndham residents had been on the Newstart or Youth Allowance for five years or longer.
The postcode of 3030, which covers Werribee, Werribee South, Point Cook, Derrimut and Quandong, had 546 residents who are long-term Newstart and Youth Allowance recipients. Only the postcodes of 3020, 3021 and 3064 – which cover areas including St Albans, Sunshine and Craigieburn – had more long-term recipients than the 3030 postcode in Victoria.
The 3021 postcode topped the state, with 947 people on the allowances for five years or more.
Elsewhere in Wyndham, there were 406 people within the 3029 postcode (Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit and Truganina) on Newstart or Youth Allowance for five years or more. Within the 3024 area (Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Mount Cottrell), there were 145 people supported by the payments long term.
In contrast, the 3027 (Williams Landing), 3211 (Little River) and 3026 (Laverton North) postcodes had a total of 26 long-term recipients between them.
The Newstart allowance pays eligible people about $538 every fortnight and Youth Allowance pays between $244 to $762 every fortnight.
The payments support people who are looking for work; doing approved activities; studying part-time and looking for work; or temporarily unable to work.
The Minister for Social Services, Dan Tehan said that while “welfare dependency” cost taxpayers billions, it was “an even greater cost to the people who are stuck on welfare and miss out on the sense of purpose and self-worth that a job provides”.
Mr Tehan said the federal government had introduced a reform that came into effect on July 1 that required people applying for Newstart to meet an employment services provider before getting their first payment.
“The Turnbull government is providing a welfare system that supports people who need the most help,” he said.
