Dole rules being toughened

Failure to look seriously for a job will mean swifter loss of the dole under a bill that's passed parliament's lower house.

Labor attempts to amend the measure by lessening what it said were its harsher elements were defeated on party lines.

The bill, characterised as "No show, No pay", allows the dole to be stopped if jobless Australians don't meet a range of compliance responsibilities.

These include signing-up to a job plan, behaving appropriately at a job interview or accepting a suitable job offer.

However, the new system also allows payments to be resumed speedily.

The government says the measure will help the jobless find work while protecting the taxpayer and the budget bottom line.

Labor argued some parts of the new system were very harsh and showed the same old Abbott policies were being pursued under new prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The measure is projected to save $24.5 million over the next four years.