Cutting subsidies in the middle of a massive recession is insane. You’ll hear the economy change down gears from Perth to Cairns.

JobKeeper will end on 28 March

The JobKeeper numbers are falling but as of 14 February, about 1.54 million ’employees’ still collected JobKeeper between October and December last year, compared to 3.6 million between April and September. It’s estimated now that around 1.2 million people are collecting the subsidy.

Last month ATO figures showed the number of workers on JobKeeper in retail dropped by 68 per cent, while transport, postal and warehousing still struggled.

Tourism and air travel are comatose. It’s hoped cheap subsidised airfares will help get people out of their lounge chairs and in to the air.

JobSeeker will end on 31 March

The Coronavirus supplement for JobSeeker will end on 31 March, although people on welfare including the dole will get a $50 rise per fortnight, which is less than $4.00 per day.

Those on JobSeeker include around 1.95 million people. That includes 220,000 people over the age of 60 or who have a caring responsibility for a child over the age of eight, and 290,000 on Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

UNSW research reveals that more than 325,000 single mothers on JobSeeker will see their income support drop once the $150-a-fortnight boost disappears.

The official ABS figures put the number of unemployed at around 877,600 people but in real terms it’s closer to 1.4 million. This doesn’t include the number of people under-employed.