If you are required to self-isolate in Victoria but don't have any sick leave to support yourself, you'll now be eligible for a $1,500 payment from the Federal Government, to encourage people not to break isolation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the new 'disaster payment' on Monday for Victorian workers who need to self-isolate.The new payment is meant to cover a fortnight of isolation, removing the financial pressure of staying home.
Here's how it works.
Who is the payment for?
The Prime Minister said the $1,500 payment was for those people who have been ordered into self-isolation and have no sick-leave entitlement.
The payment is currently only for workers in Victoria, but could be extended to other states and territories if they also enter a state of disaster due to the pandemic.
It's for those workers who are not on JobKeeper or JobSeeker payments, and either have used up or are not entitled to sick leave.
Victorians who are already accessing a similar payment from the Victorian Government will not be able to claim the disaster payment.
"Those payments will be principally made to those on short-term visas, so those who are not permanent residents or citizens of Australia who otherwise wouldn't have accessed Commonwealth payments," Mr Morrison said.
"The Victorian Government will continue to provide that support. We will make sure that everyone else who finds themselves in this situation and they don't have that leave available to them through their sick leave because it's been exhausted."
The Victorian Government also offers a $300 payment for people to isolate while awaiting a test result.
Mr Morrison said the $1,500 payment to isolate for two weeks was designed to "supplement and support" existing measures.
When can I apply for the funding?
From Wednesday, Victorian workers with no sick leave can apply for the disaster payment.
Mr Morrison said applications would be handled in the same way as disaster payments that were rolled out over the summer's bushfires.
The application can be done over the phone by calling 180-22-66.
"[Applications] should be turned around fairly quickly," Mr Morrison said.
Is this a one-off payment?
The payment is for a mandatory 14-day self-isolation, therefore you could be eligible multiple times.
If you are forced in self-isolation and receive the payment and then later are forced into another self-isolation, you will be able to apply for the disaster payment for a second time.
"People can actually access the payment multiple times if, unfortunately, they're in a position where they have to self-isolate as a direct requirement on multiple times and hopefully, that won't be too often," Mr Morrison said.
Will it work?
That depends on who you ask.
Yesterday, Mr Morrison said the payment would remove any economic reason for people to turn up to work when they should be at home isolating, by ensuring a base payment for workers.
"That means that those who need to self-isolate as a result of an instruction by a public health officer, there is no economic reason for you to go to work," he said.
Both the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) yesterday called on the Federal Government to institute a pandemic paid-leave scheme.
Unions say the Government's announcement doesn't tell the whole story, because $1,500 is less than the average wage, meaning many will effectively take a pay cut by accepting the payment.
"For some workers, you're basically saying to them, 'if you've got to isolate, that you're going to have a significant pay cut'," ACTU secretary Sally McManus said.
BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott said she'd prefer to see payments administered through employers to improve ease of access, similar to JobKeeper.
"On balance, this is a really good scheme, I think it's the right start to this," she said.
"Our preference would have been to do it in the same way that JobKeeper is done.
"Let's monitor that, we'll continue to work with the ACTU."
Labor has also raised concerns the payment will not go far enough, with Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese arguing it would not pre-emptively help to stop outbreaks in other parts of the country.
"The Government has been slow to act, it's acted after transmission, whereas the whole point of paid pandemic leave was to stop community transmission occurring," he said.
Loading...
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA4LTA0L3doaWNoLXZpY3Rvcmlhbi13b3JrZXJzLWFyZS1lbGlnaWJsZS1mb3ItZGlzYXN0ZXItcGF5bWVudC8xMjUxOTc5MNIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjUxOTc5MA?oc=5
2020-08-04 02:13:00Z
52780971008514
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Am I eligible for Victoria's $1,500 coronavirus pandemic leave payment? - ABC News"
Post a Comment