Labor Unveils New Plan to Get 140,000 Long-Term Welfare Recipients Into Work

More than 900,000 Australians are currently on the Jobseeker unemployment payment.

Australian Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth speaks at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on May 27, 2026. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth has unveiled the federal government’s overhaul for Jobseeker payments.

The minister revealed about one in five, or 140,000 Australians, have been on welfare for five years or more—significantly higher than a decade ago.