Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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JobSeeker exists to support Australian's when they can't find work, but how far does that money actually go?

The number of long-term JobSeeker recipients has almost tripled since 2012, despite hundreds of millions of dollars being paid to private equity-controlled firms to find people jobs.

So, how are the 900,000 people on JobSeeker making ends meet?

Video by Luke Radford and ABC StoryLab

Living costs were estimated from flatmates.com.au listings, Canstar comparisons for internet, phone and electricity, and the Australian Automobile Association for vehicle costs. The food and toiletries estimate was taken from Anglicare’s latest Cost of Living Index.

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