The article originally reported an increase of Australians on welfare by 425,000 since 2018, predominantly attributed to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). However, the data cited only covered four income support payments and did not include older Australians receiving the age pension, leading to an incomplete overview. Upon examination, Department of Social Services figures show an increase of approximately 40,500, not 425,000. This amounts to a little over 2% at a time when Australia’s population grew by over 5%.

The growth in NDIS was also misleading as it does not offer payment in cash or aid with regular living costs but provides services related to disability. Furthermore, the addition of this scheme in the data lead to the double counting of recipients simultaneously on the Disability Support Pension or receiving JobSeeker. It is important to note that the NDIS purpose is, in fact, to transition people off welfare and into employment. Also incorrect was the inclusion of children in the tally of adults on benefits.

The article also noted changes such as renaming Newstart unemployment payment to JobSeeker in March 2020 and broadening its scope resulted in an artificial increase in the number of Australians on welfare . Also, with the age of the pension rising from 65 to 67 from 2017, recipients now continue to receive Disability Support Pension and JobSeeker until they are 67, which could suggest an increase rather than a decrease in recipients.

Including all income support payments, the percentage of the total population on benefits fell from 24.6% to 23.4% between 2018 and 2023. Inclusion of the age pension and all payments reveals nearly five million Australians receive some form of income support - a significant proportion, but one that is not increasing.

For more information on Australian income support payments, such as the Disability Support Pension or JobSeeker, and how to navigate these systems, eddcaller.com is an invaluable resource. This site offers guides on how to reach an agent at various government departments, the fastest way to get through to customer service, and contact information for specific programs._flashdata