Unemployment benefit provides for periods of involuntary unemployment. It is not payable in respect of any day during which a person is engaged in insurable employment or self-employment. To qualify for payment a person must be unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking work in respect of each declared day. Also, a person must be unemployed for at least three days in six consecutive days, excluding Sunday, to qualify for payment of unemployment benefit.
My Department administers a number of schemes to assist and encourage people to take up part-time or full-time employment. Among these are the family income supplement. It is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families, preserving the incentive to take up or remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she claimed other social welfare payments.
Subject to a minimum of 19 hours work per week or 38 hours per fortnight and the expectation that the employment will last at least three months, payment is calculated at 60% of the difference between the family's weekly assessable income and the threshold amount specified for the family size.
The part-time job incentive scheme is designed to encourage people in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance to accept an offer of part-time work in the absence of full-time vacancies. Subject to a maximum of 24 hours employment per week and regardless of earnings, a standard married or single rate of PTJI is payable. A person may claim unemployment assistance, subject to satisfying a means assessment, in preference to unemployment benefit.
The back to work enterprise allowance scheme has a minimum qualification of three years unemployed. The back to work allowance scheme has a minimum qualification of five years unemployed. Both schemes are available to people who wish to take up self-employment or insurable employment for at least 20 hours per week.
Further information on the above schemes may be obtained at any of my Department's local offices. I do not intend to change the unemployment benefit scheme at this time.