Inadequate welfare payments leave almost two million Australians trapped in poverty

Key points

• New research from the Australian Council of Social Service and UNSW finds three in four households reliant on JobSeeker are living in poverty. The study found one in five older singles and one in six children in income support households are also poor.
• ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said almost two million people relying on government support are being pushed to the brink of destitution.
• UNSW researcher Carla Treloar said JobSeeker households had incomes averaging $331 a week below the poverty line.