There was an excrutiating moment on ABC radio this week when AM presenter Sabra Lane asked Finance Minister Matthias Cormann whether he could survive on the Newstart allowance.
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As politicians do so often, Cormann ducked and weaved and obfuscated to try to avoid answering the question. Lane would have none of it and kept pressing the question, without getting an answer.
Of course, we all know there is no way Cormann could get by on the basic $556 a fortnight. If we are honest, very few of us could. And in dodging the question, the minister (made infamous for his cigar chomping with then Treasurer Joe Hockey when Tony Abbott's first ill-fated horror budget was handed down) sounded about as out to touch as one could get.
The Newstart issue is fraying the Coalition government, with Barnaby Joyce publicly stating the allowance needs to be increased and the Liberal party room being dressed down for continuing to talk about it publicly. Even the former PM John Howard has said the allowance needs to move with the times.
Those arguing against an increase say Newstart is only part of a raft of benefits and that most people are not on the basic payment for more than a short period.
However, those arguing for an increase point out many people - particularly the homeless and those suffering from mental illness - are caught in the Newstart trap, some for years. They're trying to live on 38 per cent of the minimum wage.
According to Department of Social Service figures, the proportion of Newstart recipients on payments for longer than a year has climbed from 69 per cent in 2014 to 73 per cent in 2016.
That's a big percentage living on the smell of an oily rag.
There has been much talk in recent years about stagnant wage growth and the drag this has exacted on the economy.
But if you want to find real stagnation, consider this: Newstart has not had a substantial increase since 1997.
We are not arguing for a welfare system that acts as a disincentive to finding work. However, we do believe the welfare safety net should enable people to get to a position where they can realistically be job ready. If you can't feed and clothe yourself, you're unlikely to be in a fit state to be employed.
A safety net that doesn't catch the most vulnerable in our society is not really a net at all.
