Alice can usually make the JobSeeker payment stretch just far enough to cover the two weeks until the next pay, albeit with intense budgeting.
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But as fuel and grocery prices increase, last week the Tasmanian's money ran out five days early. It meant days of living on toast and some frozen meat left in the freezer, plus a handful of remaining tins of food.
This is coupled with a looming $30-a-week rent increase in the three-person sharehouse in Launceston and an ongoing $100-a-fortnight JobSeeker reduction due to a past overpayment unbeknownst to Alice.
Alice, 26, who is immunocompromised, avoids travelling by bus for fear of catching COVID meaning they are reliant on a car, and require regular support for a mental illness - something they can no longer afford.
They said it had never been more difficult to live week-to-week, leaving little opportunity to improve their lives by receiving ongoing mental health support, or ultimately gaining long-term employment.
"It's really scary at the moment. Having mental health issues definitely impacts my ability to work but I am still looking for work because I don't really have a choice. I'm not choosing to be on these payments," Alice said.
"If I didn't have the discount section in the supermarket or a freezer, I don't know what I would do.
"Things have just become chaotically expensive. I always know how much everything costs because you have to memorise it when you have no money, but it's all adding up at the moment."
One-off payment likely in upcoming federal budget
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is reportedly planning to announce a one-off payment in Tuesday's federal budget of about $200, possibly targeting pensioners, in response to rising cost of living pressures.
While supportive of a suggestion of financial support for pensioners, Alice said such a move should be expanded to all struggling groups including those on JobSeeker - and should also cover the duration of the inflation issue.
"I don't think it would be fair to give a payment to one group, but not others," they said.
"I understand how the government doesn't want people to think they can just sustain themselves on these payments forever, but right now, something needs to be done to help us. Even if it's until things blow over."
In 2020, JobSeeker - formerly Newstart - was increased to $1115 per fortnight in response to mass unemployment due to COVID, then reduced back down $620 per fortnight in early 2021, and was ultimately left $50 above pre-COVID levels.
Alice said the temporary increase in 2020 was life-changing, and they urged the government to consider something similar.
"I was actually able to live above the poverty line and it was awesome," they said.
"I was able to pay my bills on time, I could access the mental health support I needed, I was able to go to the doctor without stressing, I paid my rego on time, I had actual food that wasn't just crap from the discount aisle."
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"I could actually live. I could see people's moods lift, it was one less thing we had to worry about - it was not just constantly worrying about 'can I feed my kids?' or 'can I feed myself?'"
'Cost of living' package to be announced
Prime Minister Scott Morrison would not provide further details about a "cost of living package" to be included in the budget, but said it would be applied "right across the Australian community".
He then ran through a list of the supports provided during the pandemic.
"I'll leave the announcements to the Treasurer. But what I do know is this, throughout the course of this pandemic ... we have had to put in place the biggest economic support an Australian Government has ever had to do to frankly save the economy," Mr Morrison said.
Tasmania's peak community services organisation - TasCOSS - is calling on the federal government to increase support payments to at least $70 per day, while St Vincent de Paul Tasmania agreed that the payments were not keeping up with the cost of living.
TasCOSS chief executive officer Adrienne Picone said the rate of JobSeeker and Commonwealth Rent Assistance was "trapping Tasmanians in a cost of living death spiral".