Di Natale Senate Video Conference of last speech : Let me begin by acknowledging the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation from whose land I am speaking today, the Ngunawal and Ngambri people on whose land our national parliament meets and the traditional owners of the lands from right across the country. Mr President, I hope you don't mind me saying that, after announcing my resignation—I'm going to share this with the rest of the world—you sent me a cheeky text message saying that you wouldn't kick me out of the Senate during my final speech. Now I'm not sure how you're going to do that from Melbourne, but I'm going to do my best to behave. I didn't expect that my final speech would take place in a virtual parliament from a locked-down city amid a global pandemic. It's a pandemic that's causing untold suffering and hardship across the world. It's a pandemic that follows a devastating summer of bushfires. And it's a pandemic that concludes m...
Centrelink Payments pittance Increase for pensioners, JobSeekers in a cost of living crisis
Pensioner struggling to buy food in Supermarket Photo by Gemini AI Centrelink Payments Are Increasing in 2025: What You Need to Know In a move to provide financial relief amid rising living costs, the Australian Government is increasing Centrelink payments through its regular indexation process . This will provide a welcome boost to millions of Australians, including pensioners , students , and job seekers . Payment Overview A number of key Centrelink payments are set to increase in 2025. These increases are part of the government's commitment to ensuring social security payments keep pace with the cost of living. The increases are being implemented in two stages: on March 20, 2025, and again on July 1, 2025. The payment increases are not a one-off "cash boost" but rather an ongoing adjustment to fortnightly payment rates. This aims to provide sustained support for those who rely on these payments to cover essential expenses. Who is Eligible? The payment increases will ...