Victorian workers worry $10,000 liquid assets test will exclude them from COVID payment
Workers in Victoria fear they will miss out on the Prime Minister's COVID disaster payment due to strict eligibility requirements on employee's savings.
Jess Taylor went from working 42 hours a week in hospitality to zero overnight as the state's lockdown was extended for another week.
The 22-year-old has rent and bills piling up, but doesn't qualify for the government's $500 payment because she has more than $10,000 saved up to buy her first home.
EXPLAINED: How to qualify for the Temporary COVID Disaster Payment
Jess Taylor is a 22-year-old hospitality worker who is excluded from receiving the payment due to her savings. Nine
"I'm especially disappointed because the amount of savings he has listed as a cut-off is quite a small amount in retrospect," Ms Taylor told 9News.
"It's quite upsetting."
Workers in regional Victoria will miss out on the payment due to emerging from lockdown early.
READ MORE: Anti-vaxxers slammed for trying to dissuade people from getting jab
Benches are stacked outside a closed bar during a lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, May 28, 2021. Melbourne, the Australian city that's already endured one of the world's longest and most stringent lockdowns, is ordering residents to stay home for the fourth time since the pandemic began as the return of infections tests the country's zero-tolerance approach to the virus. Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg Bloomberg
The payment only applies to workers who are forced not to attend work for a period of greater than seven days as a result of public health directions.
The eligibility criteria stipulates that workers must not have more than $10,000 in "liquid assets", such as savings in the bank, cash or shares.
Not everyone is happy with the proposed Federal assistance.
READ MORE: Queensland scientists develop COVID-19 vaccine patch
Liberal MP and the member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur tweeted that the Federal Government should not "incentivise" lockdown initiatives by supporting Australians who are unable to work as a result of restrictions.
"The Feds should not cover for Vic Govt incompetence and incentivise more cruel lockdowns," Ms McArthur tweeted.
"How can we expect a miner in WA, a farmer in NSW or a tourism operator in Queensland to pick up the bill for the ineptitude of Vic Ministers?"
You can get up-to-date information from the Federal Government's Coronavirus Australia app, available on the App Store, Google Play and the Government's WhatsApp channel.
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