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View All NewsAustralia – Jobseeker relocation scheme proving a success
Nearly 150 people have taken advantage of a government scheme which offer financial assistance of up to AUD 9,000 (USD 7,919) to relocate for work, with the majority staying in their home state, reports The Guardian.
Since 1 July this year, 145 people have accessed the relocation assistance programme, which offers people who have been unemployed and on benefits for at least 12 months help with moving costs if they go to an eligible area.
Unemployed people who move to a regional area for work can access up to AUD 6,000 (USD 6,279) in financial assistance. Moving to a metropolitan city with a lower unemployment rate than a person’s place of origin attracts a smaller package of AUD 3,000 (USD 2,640), but in both categories people moving with a family are eligible for an extra AUD 3,000.
An applicant is eligible for assistance if their new job requires them to move at least 90 minutes away from home.
The Assistant Minister for Employment, Luke Hartsuyker, said almost half of the people who have taken up the assistance offer had been unemployed for more than two years. According to Mr Hartsuyker’s office, 69% of all moves have been to a regional area.
In each state, the majority of those relocating stayed within state borders. The largest number of relocations occurred within Queensland, where 26 of the 43 movers stayed in the state. Data showed that 30 people accessed the programme from New South Wales, 27 from Victoria, 19 from South Australia, nine from Tasmania, and six from Western Australia.
To-date, no one has left the Northern Territory, but 15 people have moved there from across Australia.