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What happened when we gave unemployed Australians early access to their super? We've just found out

  • Written by Tristram Sainsbury, Research fellow, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
What happened when we gave unemployed Australians early access to their super? We've just found outShutterstock

One of the most well-established practical observations in economics is that when we give an unemployed person a payment, it tends to delay their return to work.

Rightly or wrongly, it is an argument used to justify a rate of JobSeeker one third below the pension.

How well does the finding apply if the payment is a A$10,000 lump sum...

Read more: What happened when we gave unemployed Australians early access to their super? We've just found out