As Victoria heads back into lockdown and the rest of the country is on notice, people need to have trust that the government isn’t about to gut the only safety net between millions of Australians and things getting a whole lot tougher.
GetUp’s Economic Fairness Campaigns Director Ed Miller said:
**“**Last week it was sole traders, today it’s childcare workers, who will be next to be forced to pay back money they were told they were entitled to?
“The Morrison government is going after workers - small businesses who have struggled to keep staff on the books and childcare workers who have been keeping our kids safe and educated.
“JobKeeper has kept thousands of people in work, and businesses in business. For people to be forced to pay back money they were told they were eligible for is gut-wrenching. They shouldn’t pay the price of the government’s administrative mistakes.
“None of this is surprising, this is the same government that designed the cruel and oppressive robodebt scheme that chased almost half a million innocent people with false debt notices.
“Right now families need confidence that, no matter what happens with this pandemic, they’ll be able to make rent, pay their bills on time, and get three square meals.
“We need to extend support to people for as long as they need it - not bankrupt people over money they were told they were eligible for, in the middle of a pandemic."